Teachers Doing Science: An Authentic Geology Research Experience for Teachers

Hemler, Deb; Repine, Tom

doi:10.5408/1089-9995-54.2.93

Cited by 23 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…These measurements provide critical data about the 3D geometry of the rocks, which inform the geologist about their deformational history (Compton, 1985;Liben, Kastens, & Christensen, 2011). Structural geology novices report that strike and dip are among the most troublesome concepts in introductory geology (Hemler & Repine, 2006).…”

Section: Complexity Of Spatial Problems In Structural Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the psychometric tests of spatial perception, the context in which judgments of horizontality and verticality are made is uniformly tilted. No studies, to our knowledge, have directly investigated why measuring the strike and dip of an outcrop in the field is such a challenging task, especially for novices (e.g., Hemler & Repine, 2006;Ishikawa & Kastens, 2005). A cognitive task analysis involving both experts and novices when doing fieldwork would shed light on the various components that are involved in taking these fundamental measurements in the field.…”

Section: Complexity Of Spatial Problems In Structural Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Situating space: using a discipline-focused lens to examine spatial thinking skills

2020

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Spatial skills are an important component of success in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. A majority of what we know about spatial skills today is a result of more than 100 years of research focused on understanding and identifying the kinds of skills that make up this skill set. Over the last two decades, the field has recognized that, unlike the spatial skills measured by psychometric tests developed by psychology researchers, the spatial problems faced by STEM experts vary widely and are multifaceted. Thus, many psychological researchers have embraced an interdisciplinary approach to studying spatial thinking with the aim of understanding the nature of this skill set as it occurs within STEM disciplines. In a parallel effort, discipline-based education researchers specializing in STEM domains have focused much of their research on understanding how to bolster students' skills in completing domain-specific spatial tasks. In this paper, we discuss four lessons learned from these two programs of research to enhance the field's understanding of spatial thinking in STEM domains. We demonstrate each contribution by aligning findings from research on three distinct STEM disciplines: structural geology, surgery, and organic chemistry. Lastly, we discuss the potential implications of these contributions to STEM education. Significance statementWith more than 50% of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors leaving the STEM fields prior to graduation, there has been an increased focus on improving STEM retention rates at universities across the USA (National Science Foundation, 2018). Spatial skills are an important component of success in STEM fields and have been the focus of much psychological research for the last 100 years. Yet, only in the last few decades has the field of psychology come to recognize the complexity and nuance of the spatial tasks carried out by STEM experts during their practice. Consequently, a growing number of researchers are taking an interdisciplinary perspective on spatial thinking in STEM, with the aim of broadening our understanding of the kinds of spatial skills required to practice STEM domains. In a parallel effort, having a strong appreciation for the importance of spatial thinking to STEM reasoning and problem-solving, discipline-based education researchers have focused much research on understanding how to bolster students' skills in completing domain-specific spatial tasks. This paper highlights critical lessons learned from interdisciplinary and discipline-based education research in three STEM fields-structural geology, surgery, and chemistry-and considers their implications for how to support students' STEM learning and success at advanced educational levels.

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Section: Complexity Of Spatial Problems In Structural Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Complexity Of Spatial Problems In Structural Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Situating space: using a discipline-focused lens to examine spatial thinking skills

2020

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“…This type of professional development can help teachers to further understand the process of scientific inquiry and investigation, allowing them to better engage in those aspects of science instruction within their own classrooms (Hemler, Repine, Manduca, & Carpenter, 2006;Herrington et al, 2016).…”

Section: Supporting Curriculum Change Effortsmentioning

confidence: 99%

High school science teachers' receptivity to the next generation science standards : an examination of discipline specific factors

Shapiro¹

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The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), are the biggest change to American science education since the National Science Education Standards (NSES) were published. While inquiry was central to the NSES, science assessment largely addressed factual knowledge acquisition.The NGSS represent a significant practical change for teachers as they mark a return to the ideals specified in the National Science Education Standards (NSES) and Benchmarks for Science Literacy. The purpose of this explanatory sequential, mixed-methods study was to identify and compare the factors that influenced high school science teachers' receptivity to the curricular shifts necessitated by the adoption of the NGSS. The survey data identified three factors as significant predictors of teacher receptivity: teachers' non-monetary cost-benefit analysis, alignment between the NGSS and their current teaching style, and concerns about student readiness. To understand how these factors operate in the classroom, both receptive and nonreceptive teachers were interviewed. In terms of cost-benefit analysis, all teachers agree that time is a significant cost. This includes the time it takes to adapt lessons to the NGSS, and the time it takes to teach in a way that integrates the three parts of the NGSS which are the practices of science and engineering, the crosscutting concepts, and the disciplinary core ideas. In terms of alignment between their teaching style and the NGSS, teachers talked about the lack of examples of what NGSS-aligned instruction looks like and the dearth of accessible high quality professional development. Finally, concerns about students' readiness focused on both inadequate preparation for college-level science coursework and deficits in science instruction in the lower grades.

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“…In the psychometric tests of spatial perception, the context in which judgments of horizontality and verticality are made are uniformly tilted. No studies, to our knowledge, have directly investigated why measuring the strike and dip of an outcrop in the field is such a challenging task, especially for novices (e.g., Hemler & Repine, 2006;Ishikawa & Kastens, 2005). A cognitive task analysis with both experts USING A DISCIPLINE-FOCUSED LENS TO EXAMINE SPATIAL THINKING SKILLS 22 and novices when doing fieldwork would shed light on the various components that are involved in taking these fundamental measurements in the field.…”

Section: Complexity Of Spatial Problems In Structural Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Situating Space: Using a Discipline-Focused Lens to Examine Spatial Thinking Skills

Atit;Atit¹,

Uttal²,

Stieff³

2020

Preprint

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Spatial skills are an important component of success in STEM fields. A majority of what we know about spatial skills today is a result of over 100 years of research focused on understanding and identifying the kinds of skills that make up this skill set. Over the last two decades, the field has recognized that unlike the spatial skills measured by psychometric tests developed by psychology researchers, the spatial problems faced by STEM experts vary widely and are multifaceted. Thus, many psychological researchers have embraced an interdisciplinary approach to studying spatial thinking with the aim of understanding the nature of this skill set as it occurs within STEM disciplines. In a parallel effort, discipline-based education researchers specializing in STEM domains have focused much of their research on understanding how to bolster students’ skills in completing domain-specific spatial tasks. In this paper, we discuss four lessons learned from these two programs of research to enhance the field’s understanding of spatial thinking in STEM domains. We demonstrate each contribution by aligning findings from research on three distinct STEM disciplines, structural geology, surgery, and organic chemistry. Lastly, we discuss the potential implications of these contributions to STEM education.

show abstract

Teachers Doing Science: An Authentic Geology Research Experience for Teachers

Cited by 23 publications

References 14 publications

Situating space: using a discipline-focused lens to examine spatial thinking skills

Situating space: using a discipline-focused lens to examine spatial thinking skills

High school science teachers' receptivity to the next generation science standards : an examination of discipline specific factors

Situating Space: Using a Discipline-Focused Lens to Examine Spatial Thinking Skills

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