Initial Publication Date: May 25, 2017

Earth in Context: Resources for integrating Earth literacy with societal issues across the curriculum

Friday, May 26th, 1:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Leaders: Anne Egger (Central Washington University)
Location: Hawaii Convention Center, Room 326A

Workshop Description

How do we prepare students for a future—and a present—where they will confront climate change, water availability issues, resource depletion, and other sustainability concerns that will require a robust understanding of the intersection between the Earth and society? One key strategy is to incorporate these issues into teaching at all levels and for all students. InTeGrate has developed a set of community-built modules that directly address Earth-related grand challenges through the use of engaging, data-rich activities that incorporate interdisciplinary problem solving. These materials have been developed and tested by faculty at a variety of types of institutions and come with built-in assessments and resources for both instructors and students. Topics range from environmental justice and freshwater resources to climate change, soils and agriculture, coastal communities, mineral resources, sustainable land use, and natural hazards. In this workshop, we will explore the InTeGrate materials, discuss the underlying design rubric, and work with participants to adapt the materials to their institutional and geographic setting.

Please plan on bringing your laptop or tablet.

Workshop Program

1:00—1:15: Icebreaker

  • Introduce yourselves and the relevant societal issues that pertain to Earth science for your community
  • Describe the educational venue you want to work on today
  • Name a geoscience topic that you teach in that course that is related to that societal issue

1:15—2:00: Introduction to InTeGrate pedagogy (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 12.9MB May30 17) and modules organization

  • Additional slides with the scope of the materials (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 3.1MB May30 17) with respect to the NGSS and AGI's Critical Needs for Geoscience

2:00—2:45: Explore the InTeGrate materials, and pick one module or unit or activity to focus on. We'll report out at 2:40.

2:45 Break

3:00—4:00 Work in pairs or as a whole group to discuss how to adapt the module/unit/activity to your setting

4:00—4:30 Report out on progress and discuss the following questions:

  • What strategies will you use to adapt these materials to your setting?
  • What do you see as the biggest challenge in adapting the materials?

4:30—5:00 Summary and next steps (for you and for InTeGrate)