HR: 0800h
AN: B11B-0416    [Abstracts]
TI: Translating Research on Mercury in the Environment into High School Curriculum through Teacher Professional Development
AU: * Saltzman, J
EM: saltzman@stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, School of Earth Sciences, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
AU: Brown, B A
EM: brbrown@stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, School of Education, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
AU: Brown, G E
EM: gordon@pangea.stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, School of Earth Sciences, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
AB: Traditional science disciplines taught in high school just scratch at the surface of the complex natural world, especial biogeochemical cycling. Teachers are challenged to go beyond the traditional perspectives and to link current scientific research with classroom experiences. Through professional development workshops from Stanford University's Environmental Molecular Science Institute (EMSI), high school science teachers learn about the EMSI research findings on environmental mercury. Mercury is the focus of the workshop because it is a significant contaminant in the local San Francisco Bay region. Equally as important, teachers learn approaches to science language instruction from a science education professor. The instructional approaches attempt to simplify science discourse and provide students with a richer conceptual and linguistic repertoire. Using the EMSI research on mercury, teachers develop lessons to integrate biogeochemistry into their classroom curriculum, guided by EMSI scientists. In the second year of offering the workshop, more time was spent on designing lessons which led to an increase in the number of high school students learning about mercury in their classrooms. A web-based learning center provides an interactive learning environment including standards- based lesson plans, materials, and video of the lessons taught by workshop participants.
UR: http://pangea.stanford.edu/research/emsi/ DE: 0414 Biogeochemical cycles, processes, and modeling (0412, 0793, 1615, 4805, 4912)
DE: 0930 Oceanic structures
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting