Connecting coursework to real-world issues that are meaningful to students is an excellent way to increase student engagement in Earth science courses. Place-based learning, focusing on students' local culture, history, and physical environment make course content more relevant to students' lives.Many societal issues related to geoscience (including natural hazards, natural resources, and environmental concerns) increase students' motivation to learn - the value of the content knowledge is clearer to students.This forum will focus on a variety of ways place-based learning and societally-relevant topics can be incorporated into geoscience courses and give participants the opportunity to plan how these topics might be used in their own instructional practice.

Resources

Forum presentations slides

The following is a list of resources mentioned during the forum.

Societally-relevant learning

• InTeGrate Teaching Materials - modules that engage students in understanding the Earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues (primarily college level)
  • Why Teach Geoscience in the Context of Societal Issues?
• GEodesy Tools for Societal Issues (GETSI) - modules that feature data analysis and quantitative skills applied to societally important issues of climate change, natural hazards, and water resources. (primarily college level)
• Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) - reviewed and organized resources for K-12 through college
• Introducing Geophysics for Urban and Near-surface Applications (IGUaNA) - field applications of geophysical techniques to societally-relevant, real-world problems
• Service Learning - From SERC Pedagogy in Action collection
• Sharing Resources to Promote Teaching Socio-scientific Issues - resources assembled at the EER 2023 roundtable chaired by Megan Plenge
• GeoContext: a social and political context for geoscience education

Place-based learning

• Place-Based Education in Geoscience: Theory, Research, Practice, and Assessment - Semken et al, JGE 2017
  • Summary and context in Place-based education: Teaching geoscience in the context of location and culture - T. Cook, EARTH Magazine
• Modules and activities that feature place-based opportunities
  • Map Your Hazards! – Assessing Hazards, Vulnerability and Risk (InTeGrate)
  • Mapping the Environment with Sensory Perception (InTeGrate)
  • Elementary GLOBE Air Quality Module (CLEAN & GLOBE)
  • Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (COCORAHS)
  • Geologic Hazard Community Action Plan (EarthScope ANGLE)
  • Unit 3: What's in YOUR watershed? - capstone unit lets students choose their own investigation site (from GETSI's Eyes on the Hydrosphere: Tracking Water Resources)
  • Unit 6: Applying GPS strain and earthquake hazard analyses to different regions - capstone unit lets students choose their own investigation site (from GETSI's GPS, Strain, and Earthquakes)
• Earth Science All Around - resources on geoscience education and place-based instruction through virtual context learning experiences
• The Power of Place in Geoscience Education - In The Trenches issue October 2014