Education Commons^™

Integrating Upper Level Content With Introductory Material For Better Learning, With An Example From Mineralogy, Charles W. Carrigan, Priscilla Field Skalac

Faculty Scholarship – Geology

At the start of upper-level courses, many students have difficulty with advanced material that requires a base knowledge of essential concepts in geology and supporting disciplines, along with critical thinking skills. Students have difficulty in 1) recalling introductory course material and connecting it to deeper content, and 2) integrating concepts from supporting courses. We advocate incorporating a broadening concept review into upper level courses. Emphasis is on mastery of introductory material needed to acquire advanced concepts that follow.

Geosciences Newsletter - 2009, Department Of Geosciences

Geological and Environmental Sciences News

Vol. 3, Num. 4

• Dear Friends and Alumni
• Faculty Updates
• Publications
• Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education
• Grants
• New Courses at WMU
• Graduate Student News
• Awards
• Alumni
• Advisory Council

Earth News, V33, Fall 2009, Department Of Earth Science, University Of Northern Iowa.

Earth News

Inside this issue:

--- News from the Department Head
--- News from Faculty and Staff
--- News from Emeritus Faculty and Staff
--- Sunday in the Quarry
--- Hillside Observatory Remodeled
--- The STORM Project Purchases New Equipment
--- UNI Team Participates in Project to Explore Earth's Interior
--- Geology for Teachers Short Course
--- EDMAP
--- Geology & Natural History of the Colorado River
--- Teachers Become Students to Study Air Quality
--- Astronomy for Teachers
--- National Science Foundation CCLI Grant
--- Earth Science Seminar Series
--- How I Spent My Summer
--- Scholarship and Award Recipients
--- …

Relevance First: How To Engage Preservice Elementary (K-8) Teacher Candidates In A Required Geoscience Course, Priscilla Field Skalac

Faculty Scholarship – Geology

Many preservice elementary teacher candidates enter the required science content classroom with poor self-efficacy attitudes. We should take an approach that will both lead our students towards an understanding of the relevance of the content, as well as self-confidence in their ability to teach geoscience. In one of four required science content courses, Earth and Space Science for Elementary Teachers, we are achieving positive outcomes by redefining our students as our apprentices.

Inquiry-Based Introductory Earth Science Laboratory Using Survey Equipment, Tamie J. Jovanelly

Georgia Educational Researcher

A laboratory assignment entitled was developed to give high-school students an opportunity to collect, analyze, and interpret data after they have been introduced to topographic maps and associated terminology. Survey equipment (automatic level, graduated staff, and tripod) is used to collect data with the goal of creating a topographic profile along a linear transect on campus. This assignment sets itself apart from traditional introductory earth science labs because the students are using instrumentation to collect data, rather than having a data set provided for them. The benefits of this assignment include: 1) further understanding of topographic maps, 2) practice with …