Developing and Applying a Set of Earth Science Literacy Principles

Wysession, M. E.; LaDue, Nicole; Budd, David A.; Campbell, Karen; Conklin, M. H.; Kappel, Ellen; B.Lewis, Gary; Raynolds, Robert G.; Ridky, Robert W.; Ross, Robert M.; Taber, John; Tewksbury, Barbara J.; Tuddenham, P.

doi:10.5408/11-248.1

Cited by 49 publications

(39 citation statements)

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“…In summary, 3-D fossils and paleontology represent a charismatic gateway to K-12 student interest and engagement in STEM learning, and potentially, in post-secondary education and careers in STEM fields such as paleontology, geology, biology, and other related disciplines. As Wysession et al (2012) noted, it is our responsibility to help students understand the many layers of scientific knowledge and practice. The potential of an approach that integrates 3-D technology with paleontology to engage students in STEM will be further tested empirically with the continued development and implementation of other learning activities using charismatic fossils.…”

Section: Conclusion Implications and The Future Of 3-d Fossils In mentioning

confidence: 99%

3-D FOSSILS FOR K–12 EDUCATION: A CASE EXAMPLE USING THE GIANT EXTINCT SHARKCARCHAROCLES MEGALODON

Grant¹,

MacFadden²,

Antonenko³

et al. 2016

Paleontol. Soc. Pap.

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ABSTRACT.-Fossils and the science of paleontology provide a charismatic gateway to integrate STEM teaching and learning. With the new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), as well as the exponentially increasing use of three-dimensional (3-D) printing and scanning technology, it is a particularly opportune time to integrate a wider variety of fossils and paleontology into K-12 curricula. We describe a curricular prototype that integrates all four components of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) into authentic research using dentitions of the Neogene giant shark Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon Agassiz, 1843). This prototype has been implemented in two middle and two high schools in California and Florida. Consistent with prior evidence-based research, student engagement increases when they have hands-on experiences with fossils, particularly with a charismatic species such as Megalodon. Access to museum specimens helps students understand big ideas in 'Deep Time.' In addition to engaging students in authentic STEM practices and scaffolding development of content knowledge, paleontology is an integrative science that connects and informs socially relevant topics, including long-term (macro-) evolution and climate change. The application of 3-D printing and scanning to develop curricula using fossils has immense potential in K-12 schools in the U.S.

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Section: Conclusion Implications and The Future Of 3-d Fossils In mentioning

confidence: 99%

3-D FOSSILS FOR K–12 EDUCATION: A CASE EXAMPLE USING THE GIANT EXTINCT SHARKCARCHAROCLES MEGALODON

Grant¹,

MacFadden²,

Antonenko³

et al. 2016

Paleontol. Soc. Pap.

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“…More relevant to introductory geoscience courses, the Earth Science community recently produced four major scientific literacy documents (Atmospheric Science Literacy Framework, 2007;U.S. Climate Change Science Program, 2009;Earth Science Literacy Initiative, 2010;Wysession et al, 2012;Ocean Literacy Framework, 2013) that provide summaries of ''big ideas'' that can be utilized by instructors at all levels to more effectively teach scientific literacy.…”

Section: What Is Scientific Literacy?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing Scientific Literacy in Introductory Laboratory Courses: A Model for Course Design and Assessment

Surpless

Bushey

Halx³

2014

Journal of Geoscience Education

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Although science educators at all levels have focused on teaching students scientific literacy for nearly five decades, studies indicate that the average student remains far from scientifically literate. To address this issue at the local level, faculty at Trinity University, in San Antonio, Texas, significantly revised the curriculum of an existing introductory physical geology laboratory course. The course, which satisfies general education requirements at Trinity, was revised to provide students learning opportunities in a scientific process context as part of a new science literacy initiative. This effort was spurred by general dissatisfaction with the existing curricular structure of the course as well as a new interdisciplinary, National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded initiative to support the integration of research-grade instrumentation in curricula and undergraduate research across campus. The physical geology laboratory course revision was based on research that demonstrated the efficacy of learning through active participation, interpretation, iteration, and reflection, especially when knowledge and skills are gained within an explicit scientific process context. In addition to significantly revising laboratory activities, we added new activities within the course framework that involved the use of two new, NSF-funded instruments, including a handheld X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF) and an inductively coupled plasma-optical emissions spectrometer (ICP-OES), which we used to improve student understanding of qualitative and quantitative elemental analyses. Finally, we introduced the use of a new course reader that provided both background materials for each activity as well as a new focus on providing a scientific process context for students. To assess student learning, we used in-class observations, student-instructor discussions, pre-and postlearning questionnaires, prelaboratory quizzes, course activities completed during class time, modified postactivity reflection questions, practical examinations, and a final examination. We also included faculty, staff, and administrator perspectives to qualitatively assess the impact of course changes upon student learning. Our results imply that students achieved the primary learning goals we developed for this scientific literacy initiative, including: (1) improved understanding of the scientific process and the nature of science; (2) improved understanding of qualitative and quantitative elemental research methods; and (3) improved understanding of the applicability of scientific research to real-world problems. Importantly, our findings suggest that the integration of research-grade instrumentation into introductory coursework, in a scientific process context, is an effective way to promote scientific literacy as well as to provide opportunities for students to understand and apply the knowledge and skills necessary to perform scientific research. We believe that this example of a significant course redesign provides a model that can be trans...

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“…Several geoscience literacy documents-the Atmospheric Science Literacy (Atmospheric Science Literacy Framework, 2007), Climate Literacy (U.S. Global Change Research Project, 2009), Earth Science Literacy Principles (Earth Science Literacy Initiative, 2010), and Ocean Literacy (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2013)-developed through broad community consensus (Wysession et al, 2012) indicate that an understanding of scale is essential for scientifically literate adults. Although no individual would be expected to fully understand all concepts in the literacy documents (U.S.…”

Section: Connecting K-12 and Undergraduate Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning About Spatial and Temporal Scale: Current Research, Psychological Processes, and Classroom Implications

Cheek

LaDue

Shipley

2017

Journal of Geoscience Education

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Geoscientists analyze and integrate spatial and temporal information at a range of scales to understand Earth processes. Despite this, the concept of scale is ill defined and taught unevenly across the K-16 continuum. This literature review focuses on two meanings of scale: one as the magnitude of the extent of a dimension and the other as a relationship between objects or events. We review 42 papers from science education and discipline-based education research (DBER) literature on students' conceptions related to one or both meanings of scale. Analysis of this prior work reveals a broader (though still limited) research base on domain general concepts of scale as magnitude and scant research on scale as a relationship. Learners begin reasoning about spatial and temporal magnitudes categorically by working with scales based on standard units and nonmetric values, such as body length. Concepts of scale magnitudes outside human experience are nonlinear. Facility with fractions and proportional reasoning are positively associated with the ability to reason about scale as a relationship. Two constructs from the psychological literature, structure mapping and the category adjustment model, offer theoretical accounts for these findings. We borrow a typology from the psychological literature to frame common geoscience instructional models in the context of spatial and temporal scale and suggest how instructors might facilitate students' reasoning about scale models. We identify a number of avenues for possible future research, including a critical need to understand how conceptual understanding of scale develops across the K-16 continuum. Ó

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Developing and Applying a Set of Earth Science Literacy Principles

Cited by 49 publications

References 1 publication

3-D FOSSILS FOR K–12 EDUCATION: A CASE EXAMPLE USING THE GIANT EXTINCT SHARKCARCHAROCLES MEGALODON

3-D FOSSILS FOR K–12 EDUCATION: A CASE EXAMPLE USING THE GIANT EXTINCT SHARKCARCHAROCLES MEGALODON

Developing Scientific Literacy in Introductory Laboratory Courses: A Model for Course Design and Assessment

Learning About Spatial and Temporal Scale: Current Research, Psychological Processes, and Classroom Implications

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