Alexandra Davatzes

Using Citizen Science in the Online GenEd classroom part of Teach the Earth:Teaching Activities
I use citizen science projects that are abundantly available on the web as a way to teach non-majors about the scientific process and as a way to teach them about geoscience/environmental science. I use this in an ...

Evolutions and Extinctions part of Introductory Courses:Courses
Basic geologic principles and the fundamentals of evolutionary thought combine to bring to life the 4.6 billion year story of our planet and its creatures. Through hands-on experience with fossils and rocks, ...

Using Classroom Response Systems for Research on Learning part of GET Spatial Learning:Blog
Do you use clickers in your classroom? If so, there are simple ways you can use the technology to pre-assess students' conceptual knowledge, ask students to make predictions, and provide timely feedback to ...

Using Analogies to Teach in the Geosciences part of GET Spatial Learning:Blog
Teachers often use analogies when describing complicated new material to their students. Sometimes they are not even aware that they are using analogies because they do it automatically. Whenever an explanation ...

Learning to Form Accurate Mental Models part of GET Spatial Learning:Blog
Drs. Alexandra Davatzes, Kristin Gagnier, Ilyse Resnick and Thomas F. Shipley wrote a featured article for Eos! Read it here: Eos - Learning to Form Accurate Mental Models

Understanding feedback loops to approach systems-level thinking part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2024:Program:Oral Sessions:Monday Oral Session A
Systems-level thinking and analysis, where a problem is viewed broadly as a whole rather than as its parts, is a necessary skill when attempting to solve systemic problems; one, however, which students can struggle ...

Creating Harmonies Against Climate Change (CHANT) part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2024:Program:Oral Sessions:Thursday Oral Session A
Climate change has become an increasingly pressing issue, both to scientists and the public. While adults grapple with their own concerns, children are also experiencing eco-anxiety, and studies show that children ...

Why is teaching and learning about feedback loops hard? part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2020:Program:Oral Sessions:Oral Session II
Feedback loops provide a powerful explanatory framework for analyzing important Earth and environmental processes, such as climate change and predatory/prey balance. Our pilot research and review of the literature ...

Supporting Minority Students at Temple University part of Integrate:Program Design:Increase Diversity:Supporting Minority Students
The Math Mentor Program was developed at our large state-affiliated university as a mechanism to support students through the fundamental math courses required for the geoscience major. Math Mentors were junior or senior Geology or Environmental Science majors, and their role was to support students through development of study skills and support, not act as tutors.