Observations and Measurements for Understanding Isostasy

In this cycle, students should improve their observation and measuring skills as they develop a functional understanding of the concepts of density/buoyancy and how they apply to our understanding of Earth's topography. They are expected to differeniate observations from inferences. They practice explaining their ideas in writing and in conversation in small groups and with the whole class.

The SCED202 class is limited to 24 students. The students are in their 1st or 2nd year at the university and most are interested in being elementary teachers. The class meets for 2 hours three times a week, during which there are only activities and discussions (no lecture). The cycle in the sample takes approximately 6 two-hour sessions to complete.

The keys to successfully facilitating this sequence of activities are:

1. avoid your urge to tell-- this curriculum is about students THINKING to learn;
2. students must be comfortable expressing their ideas in writing and in public, even if their ideas are naive, incomplete or erroneous;
3. students must be willing to explain their thinking in writing, even knowing that such writing will not be evaluated by the instructor;
4. student are best grouped heterogeneously into groups of 3
5. white boarding protocol calls for all students in the presenting group to stand and be accountable for what's on the whiteboard;

This sample includes lists of all materials used in the activities. The document is labeled as a SAMPLE because the materials are undergoing pilot testing and revision before publication.
SCED202 Cycle 2 from the Student Manual (Acrobat (PDF) 2.1MB Apr13 07)

We assess student learning continuously by listening to and guiding their small and large group discussions, reading their end-of-cycle learning reflections and test responses. The questions on the test are similar to those that appear as summarizing questions in the curriculum.