Research in STEM disciplines has revealed a suite of empirically validated instructional practices that can contribute to improvements in student learning and a reduction in attrition. We will outline a series of ...

Science and academia have a culture that can be challenging for students, particularly those from groups underrepresented in the STEM fields. This session will guide participants in supporting students and building ...

This workshop is designed specifically for graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and others who are interested in pursuing academic careers in the geosciences. Workshop leaders will provide guidance and ...

We will focus on practical and effective strategies for designing inquiry-based assignments and activities and on how to successfully implement techniques such as jigsaw, gallery walk, and concept sketches in ...

Many well-respected groups and associated faculty have tackled the issues of Earth science classroom transformation through decades of research and application. Today, many significant pedagogical advances to the ...

My lab activity uses simple stream systems to teach and reinforce concepts in introductory geology courses. Each group of students receives a pvc half-pipe that they partially fill with a sand-gravel mixture to ...

Students take an exam individually. Once they complete the exam they turn it in and get into a group with 3 other students. The students then take the identical test but this time they work together on the ...

Sketching is a valuable activity to help students develop spatial skills and understand difficult geoscience concepts. Yet, sketching is rarely implemented at the introductory level due to the time needed to grade ...

As education research suggests, the traditional model of only-lecturing in a large lecture class has given way to active learning strategies, even with class sizes greater than 100. Implementing discussion as an ...

We present the results of transitioning laboratory activities in an introductory physical geology course from passive to active learning. It has been shown that student-driven investigation has the capacity to ...

A discussion forum intended to span the gap between once-weekly class meetings, and to train students to analyze their own knowledge, yields consistently remarkable discourse. Students participate in the ...

The University of Colorado at Boulder Learning Assistant (LA) program has been shown to be very successful in increasing grades and engaging students in large lecture classes, increasing retention in sciences and ...

The NSF-funded Earth and Space Science Partnership at Penn State has been designing, conducting and assessing research into student learning of plate tectonics and solar system astronomy (two critical ideas for ...

Engaging students in authentic problem solving concerning environmental issues in near surface complex earth systems involves both developing student conceptualization of the earth as a system and applying that ...

Inquiry: easy to say we use in teaching, harder to prove! Inquiry learning parallels the process of scientific inquiry, and focuses on the students' role in asking and investigating scientific questions. ...

Skip to Main ContentSkip to Navigation Your Account Earth Educators' RendezvousMadison, WI July 18-22, 2016 View the Program | Search the ...

Engaging students in authentic problem solving concerning environmental issues in near surface complex earth systems involves both developing student conceptualization of the earth as a system and applying that ...

Metacognition is one's ability to recognize the workings and characteristics of their own knowledge and thought processes. In conjunction with the sensory, short-term, and long-term memories, a student's ...

A "design pattern" is a template for organizing and sequencing instruction that can be applied across multiple topics or concepts. For example, "think-pair-share" is a familiar and trusted ...

Implementation of engaged learning practices into geoscience classes affords students many advantages, including increased learning & performance, better retention of material, and reduction in achievement ...

Many earth science educators are confronted with the academic/economic reality of large introductory lecture classes. Is there any way to avoid the trap of passive lecturing in these large classes? In this ...

This activity aims to: dispel common misconceptions about the origin of magma (i.e., from a liquid layer of Earth), promote understanding of the processes of magma generation, help students see igneous rocks as ...

Many students perceive equations as simply collections of variables, and when solving problems may choose an equation because it has the right variables rather than because it represents the right process. Helping ...

Plate tectonics forms a fundamental component of our understanding of how Earth works. In this activity, students examine the age of the ocean crust, calculate the rate of seafloor spreading at different locations ...

This activity demonstrates apparent polar wandering by using paper compasses to simulate paleomagnetic records. In the first part of the activity the demonstrator plays the role of a stationary continent. She ...

A course in geological mathematical problems solving has been evolving in the undergraduate curriculum at the University of South Florida for nearly 20 years. Now called Computational Geology (after the column of ...

This is a lesson I use when teaching about the different volcano types. Previously students would have learned about controls on magma viscosity and how viscosity influences volcanic eruptions. They would have ...

"Volcanoes" are formed from bowls of gelatin inverted onto pegboard. "GPS stations" (pushpins) are installed and "housing developments" (Monopoly™ houses and hotels) are built. Then, ...

The organic compound thymol, with a melting temperature of 48°C, can be used to give students an opportunity to experiment with the effects of cooling rate on crystal size. We examine how a cookbook lab, which ...

Student presentations to the class are common in college classrooms for many reasons, but faculty often wonder whether listening to other students present is effective use of class time. When student group ...

What do we mean when we ask if students have "learned" something? Are some kinds of assessments better suited for specific kinds of learning? What are the purposes of assessing learning? This workshop ...