Scientific Argumentation in Earth System Science Education part of SERC Web Resource Collection

Diane Schweizer Clayton, Catherine Gautier
We investigate the merit of including deliberate instruction on argumentation and debate in an undergraduate Earth system science course. We examine sample student evaluations of arguments ...

The Role of Scaffolding Student Metacognition in Developing Mental Models of Complex Earth and Environmental Systems part of SERC Print Resource Collection
Bruce E. Herbert
Students organize knowledge in Earth and environmental sciences and reason about environmental issues through manipulation of mental models. The nature of the Earth and environmental sciences, which ...

Inquiry learning through students' East-West Coast online collaboration about plate tectonics part of SERC Print Resource Collection
J. Gobert
This paper describes a collaborative online project about plate tectonic activity involving middle and high school students in California and Massachusetts. The students collaborated online using ...

Causality in Complex Dynamic Systems: A Challenge in Earth Systems Science Education part of SERC Print Resource Collection
Federica Raia
This paper explores the concepts of causality necessary to understand complex system behavior and evolution and simple but important steps in teaching about complexity can support students in ...

Designing Coherent Science Education: Implications for Curriculum, Instruction, and Policy part of SERC Print Resource Collection
Yael Kali, Marcia C. Linn, Jo Ellen Roseman
Too often in today's science classes, students learn isolated facts but are unprepared to apply scientific thinking outside of checking off answers on standardized tests. Designing Coherent ...

Spatial Ability and Earth Science Conceptual Understanding part of SERC Print Resource Collection
Alice A. (Jill) Black
Relatively little research has considered the relationship of spatial abilities with common misconceptions and broader conceptual difficulties in the Earth sciences. This article from the Journal of ...

Exploring the Social, Moral, and Temporal Qualities of Pre-Service Teachers' Narratives of Evolution part of SERC Print Resource Collection
Deirdre Hahn, Sarah K Brem, Steven Semken
This study, published in the Journal of Geoscience Education, presents the idea that addressing personal barriers and misunderstandings that might impede geoscience education may become an effective ...

Climate Change: Confronting Student Ideas part of SERC Print Resource Collection
Diane Ebert-May, Jan Hodder, Kathy Williams, Doug Luckie
This journal article from Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment discusses student-centered, inquiry-based instructional strategies and learning goals for helping students learn about climate ...

Students' Conceptions of Scale Regarding Groundwater part of SERC Print Resource Collection
Daniel Dickerson, Timothy J. Callahan, Meta Van Sickle, Genny Hay
This article from the Journal of Geoscience Education features a study regarding students’ ideas about the structure, scale, and perceived importance of groundwater. The results indicate that many ...

Challenging Students Ideas About Earth's Interior Structure Using a Model-based, Conceptual Change Approach in a Large Class Setting part of SERC Print Resource Collection
David N. Steer, Catharine C. Knight, Katharine D. Owens, David A. McConnell
This article from the Journal of Geoscience Education discusses the difficulties and importance of grasping the concept of plate tectonics for entry level students. Research has shown that many ...