Instructor Stories and Adaptations

These resources describe how the module was adapted for use in different settings. We hope these stories inspire your own use of the module and give you insight into how to adapt the materials for your classroom.

Jim Ebert: Laboratory Techniques in Earth Science at SUNY Oneonta. I taught this module as a guest instructor, and the main instructor of the course was gracious in "lending" the class to me for the first 3 weeks of a 15-week semester. The course meets once each week for 110 minutes. Enrollment in this course ranges from six to sixteen students, most of whom are dual majors in adolescence education—Earth science and Earth science (liberal arts). Some students are childhood education (elementary) majors with disciplinary concentrations in either Earth science or general science. This course is intended to develop pedagogical content knowledge by bridging the gap between geoscience content and education courses. The module was completed in three class meetings with significant out-of-class work by the students.

Scott Linneman: Methods in Secondary Education for Science Teachers at Western Washington University. There is little time for nature of science discussions in a typical secondary science methods class. I used this module to introduce the methods of geoscience during 1 week of a 10-week methods class. Our class was small: ten to twenty pre-service secondary science teachers (biology, chemistry, Earth science and physics); some were current science majors, some were post-baccalaureate science majors, some were master in teaching candidates. We met three times per week and each meeting was two hours. In six hours of class time (plus substantial homework), we completed the first and third units of the module. Student assessments and feedback clearly indicate broadened understanding of geoscientific thinking.

Jeff Thomas: History and Nature of Science at Central Connecticut State University. I implemented this module with fifteen pre-service secondary science teachers from all science disciplines (e.g. biology, physics). Pre-service teachers typically take this course one semester before their science methods class and two semesters before they student teach. A primary goal of this course is for students to understand the methods of science and how to incorporate them as part of teaching and learning science. This 3-credit, 15-week semester course meets once per week for 160 minutes. This module was implemented as the capstone activity within the last 4 weeks of the course. Most of the module was implemented during class, including the summative assessment.

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