HR: 0800h
AN: ED51A-0117    [Abstracts]
TI: Multiple Strategies for Multiple Audiences: SJSU's Contributions to the Geoscience Education Community
AU: * Messina, P
EM: pmessina@geosun.sjsu.edu
AF: San Jose State University Geology Department and Program in Science Education, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192-0102, United States
AU: Metzger, E P
EM: metzger@geosun.sjsu.edu
AF: San Jose State University Geology Department and Program in Science Education, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192-0102, United States
AB: Pre- and in-service teachers nationwide face increasing qualification and credentialing demands. This may be particularly true for secondary (9-12) science teachers and multiple subject (K-8) faculty. Traditional B.S. programs in Physics, Chemistry, Biology rarely require geoscience courses, yet those candidates wishing to pursue high school teaching may need to demonstrate Earth science content competency to qualify for a credential. If successful, they will likely be asked to teach a geoscience course at some point during their careers. Even more daunting is the plight of those in the K-8 arena: many current and prospective teachers have been forced to minimize science electives in lieu of increasing education requirements. National, state, and local teaching standards call for escalating emphases on the four geoscience sub- disciplines: geology, meteorology, oceanography, and space science. How can current and future teachers establish geoscience content and pedagogy competency when undergraduate curricula often substitute other (albeit valuable) requirements? How can current and future K-12 educators supplement their academic knowledge to substantiate "highly qualified" status, and (perhaps more importantly) to feel comfortable enough to share geoscience concepts with their students? How can we in higher education assist this population of already overcommitted, less experienced teachers? San Jose State University has developed a multi-pronged approach to meet several concurrent demands. Faculty from SJSU's Geology Department and Program in Science Education developed a course, Earth Systems and the Environment, that satisfies all four geoscience sub-disciplines' required content for teachers. While it is intended for future K-8 educators, it also carries general education certification, and has been adapted and delivered online since 2005. SJSU's in-service community can enroll in the 3 graduate credit, ESSEA (Earth Systems Science Education Alliance) courses for middle- and high-school teachers. These curricula use jig-saw and cooperative learning strategies to enhance educators' understanding, and to build confidence in teaching geoscience ideas by modeling effective pedagogy. The Bay Area Earth Science Institute (BAESI) augments these formal education options, offering summer and weekend workshops for which teachers may earn inexpensive university credit. Established in 1990, BAESI has served more than 1500 teachers with geoscientist- and master teacher-led workshops that supply standards- based Earth science concepts and effective strategies for teaching them.
UR: http://www.baesi.org
DE: 0800 EDUCATION
DE: 0805 Elementary and secondary education
DE: 0815 Informal education
DE: 0825 Teaching methods
DE: 0830 Teacher training
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting