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The Preparing Teachers to Teach Earth Science project website has not been significantly updated since 2007. We are preserving the web pages here because they still contain useful and ideas and content. But be aware that it may have out of date information.
For more recent resources related to Earth science teacher preparation, check out the collection at Teach the Earth.
Initial Publication Date: April 9, 2007

Earth & Space Systems - Pedagogical Connections

Return to Earth & Space Systems: Role in the Program.

Best practices for imparting science content are modeled throughout the course as widely as possible. On assignments and in activities, students are informed about why they are doing a particular activity at that time in the course in the way that they are doing it.

Class discussion time is dedicated to examining the trade offs between various teaching approaches, content selections and assessment techniques so that the pre-service teachers have an opportunity to consider how they will bridge the gulf between education theory and real world practice. Many fine teachers are lost from the profession early in their careers because they fail to find the middle ground between their idealism and the practicalities of teaching in a real school with real students.

Earth & Space Systems provides an ideal example for students of how to excel in less than ideal circumstances.

Examples of pedagogical connections are available for the following topics: