Earth Science in Secondary Education: Role in the Program

A discussion of the design and implementation of an earth science content course serving pre-service teachers at Grand Valley State University , created by Steve Mattox, Ph.D.

A description of this course and its goals is available.

1. Increase content knowledge about Earth Science
2. Improve skills in teaching science by inquiry
3. Demonstrate and highlight connections between Earth Science and astronomy, biology, chemistry, and physics
4. Engage in geologic research
5. Provide teaching materials and resources
6. Foster a professional work ethic
7. Demonstrate proficiency at addressing the Michigan Curriculum Framework standards and understanding the format of the Michigan Education Assessment Program

1. Examination of content through problems, labs, discussion and development of age appropriate lessons, introducing students to an integration of Earth and space science concepts.
2. Constructivist inquiry-based learning is modeled by the instructors and in classroom lessons students develop.
3. Integration of geoscience concepts into the larger world: physics, chemistry and biology are used to explore the conditions needed to sustain life on Earth and possibly elsewhere in the solar system
4. Students engage in a geologic research project based on the a significant local geologic event. Similar events available for research or as examples can be found in many areas in which students are likely to serve as teachers following graduation.
5. Various models and activities designed to teach space science content are addressed through the development and demonstration of age appropriate lessons targeting K-8 populations.
6. Observation of practicing master teachers and the subsequent development and presentation of age-appropriate lessons to peers and K-8 students affords students an opportunity to witness and demonstrate professional work standards and norms.
7. Course and student lesson outcomes are tied directly to the MI science standards and education assessment program.

1. Content Coverage
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   The breadth and depth of Earth Science content that must to be covered to fulfill Michigan's integrated science model requires a great deal of academic time and effort. In addition, the time demands needed to model and utilize a hands-on, inquiry-based approach adds to the overall time demands on the program. These challenges have been met via requiring five courses in this sequence. Each course also contains a six-hour mix of lab and lecture which roughly breaks into two to three hours of lecture, two hours of hands-on activity and one to two hours of inquiry-based investigation. The net effect of this approach gives students nearly the equivalent of a double major in science and education.
2. Timing of Field Trips
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   Michigan winter weather places some limitations on the timing of field trips. Since courses can be taken by students in any order, all courses need to be available in all semesters. This requires some reworking of the order of course topics between the Fall and Spring semesters to accomodate the snowier parts of winter.
3. Staffing
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   The large number of courses needing to be offered by this program each semester places strain on departmental staffing resource,s given the goal of maintaining a maximum class size of 24. Although two of the ten faculty members in the department are dedicated to science education, staffing still limits the number of sections which can be offered.