Rendezvous Overview
This event has already taken place.
Themes
The Rendezvous' combination of workshops, posters, talks, round-table discussions, and plenary presentations is designed to help guide participants through a suite of interrelated challenges that are characteristic of Earth Education in schools, colleges, and universities today by:
- providing instructors who are teaching Earth topics at all educational levels (K-16) with examples of instructional strategies that have been shown to improve student learning
- addressing teaching challenges specific to particular settings (e.g., large classes, labs, field work), topics (e.g., teaching about sustainability, atmospheric science), or skills (e.g., spatial reasoning)
- developing students' competency in a range of geoscientific tasks that involve higher order skills such as systems thinking, data analysis and quantitative skills
- supporting instructors and administrators in creating lessons and programming to increase the number and diversity of students who learn about Earth
- helping graduate students and post-docs prepare for an academic career in Earth-related disciplines
- collaborating with colleagues across the disciplines to situate learning about Earth in a societal context
- supporting current and future teachers in successfully implementing the Next Generation Science Standards
- pursuing education research that supports our ability to address these challenges
Program
View the Program »The Earth Educators' Rendezvous program will bring together these themes into a rich tapestry of workshops, contributed talks and posters, panel discussions, and plenary sessions. Drawing across the work currently taking place in geoscience, environmental, and sustainability education, meeting attendees will have the opportunity to learn broadly, focus on a particular issue or challenge, or something in between. All are invited to submit abstracts to the contributed program of posters and short presentations.
All Rendezvous 2020 events will be virtual
Morning workshops will meet for two or three days. Workshops are interactive, with participants learning from experts and from one another in formats that build on research-based pedagogies. They provide an opportunity each day to synthesize ideas from the afternoon sessions and put them to use in your own institutional context. These sessions feature time to work on your own introductory or upper-division course, to plan new ways to strengthen your program, or to focus on a particular teaching skill.
There is a one-hour break between morning and afternoon programming.
During the afternoon, you can pick from a mix of mini-workshops, round-table discussions and/or contributed talks or teaching demonstrations. These sessions allow you to sample areas where you have specific needs or interests. Sessions will range from a focus on program or curricular change (e.g. adding service learning or sustainability education) or techniques to address broad challenges faced by our community (e.g. increasing the diversity of your graduates or creating an effective assessment program). A technical program committee will select oral and poster presentations and will arrange them into a set of themed sessions. The technical program will be open to all registered Rendezvous participants.
The formal program will also include two plenary speakers. These speakers provide an opportunity to hear from experts who bring to light new ways of thinking about Earth related topics, ways of teaching, and interdisciplinary perspectives on the topic.
We anticipate that there may also be some supplementary programming in the evening for specific groups of participants (e.g., graduate students, geoscience education researchers).
Expectations
Participants will be asked to prepare in advance for their workshops, to attend all sessions of the workshop for which they are registered, and to participate fully in the workshops and the Rendezvous. Given the relatively large proportion of attendees that are new to the topics under consideration, we encourage all participants to communicate freely with others to create a welcoming encouraging work environment that honors all levels of experience with Earth education. Please read through the Participant Expectations for the virtual Earth Educators' Rendezvous.
Dates
The Rendezvous will begin on Monday, July 13, and end on Friday. Morning workshops last three days (beginning on Monday) or two days (beginning on Thursday). Participants can register for any number of days however, if you register for four days, your fifth day is free!
- Suggest ideas for the 2020 program deadline: Tuesday, October 1, 2019
- Abstract submission standard deadline for oral, poster, teaching demo, and Share-a-Thon sessions: Monday, March 2, 2020
- Activity Review Camp application deadline: Monday, May 4, 2020
- Registration deadline: registrations accepted on an ongoing basis
New guidelines this year, for those interested in proposing externally-funded Rendezvous programming in 2020 and beyond:
- If you have funding already in place and are interested in convening a workshop, mini-workshop, or other event at Rendezvous 2020, please contact the co-conveners as soon as possible, and no later than Monday, September 30, 2019. (See full guidelines and timeline)
- If you are interested in applying for external funding to convene a workshop, mini-workshop, or other event at Rendezvous 2021, contact the Co-conveners with intent to submit a proposal for external funding for 2021 Rendezvous programming as soon as possible, and by Monday, September 30, 2019. (See full guidelines and timeline)
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Registration and Abstract Submission
We welcome participation by all who are interested in teaching and learning about the Earth, including faculty and administrators from two-year and four-year colleges and universities, teachers of high school Earth science, faculty in all disciplines who teach about some aspect of the Earth or would like to incorporate such teaching in the future, students and post-docs interested in these topics, and program leaders in geoscience, environmental science, environmental studies, sustainability, or other programs with an Earth component. All participants are invited to submit an abstract to be considered for inclusion in the contributed program of short presentations and posters. There will be some need-based stipends available to help defray travel and registration costs.
Register for the RendezvousSubmit an Abstract or Activity
2020 Registration Fees*
| Standard Registration | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 day | 2 day | 3 day | 4/5 day | |
| NAGT member fee | $100 | $175 | $250 | $325 |
| Standard fee | $200 | $275 | $350 | $425 |
*Cancellation policy: All registrations are final - we are not able to provide registration refunds if you are unable to attend the Rendezvous.
Facilities
The workshop will take place online via Zoom. Participants will be emailed a link for their workshop(s) and afternoon events prior to their start date. Detailed information about how to connect and participate in the online events is forthcoming.