FROM WORKSHOPS TO GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION PRODUCTS: A LOOK AT THE IMPROVING DELIVERY IN GEOSCIENCE (IDIG) EXPERIENCE

The Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) approached the Improving Delivery in Geoscience (IDIG) workshop with the goal of learning new ways to deliver geoscience information for a series of teacher workshops developed in conjunction with the Illinois State Board of Education. The benefit of our participation was threefold: 1) we learned that state geological surveys and other government agencies have a unique roll to play in developing and furthering geoscience education and educational materials; 2) we worked as a team to develop additional geoscience activities, and 3) we networked with community college and university faculty working to advance geoscience education.

Upon returning from IDIG, we continued our involvement with statewide geoscience workshops. IDIG inspired us to simplify the delivery of our workshop materials. The GeoActivities Notebook (Notebook), a binder containing over forty activities and other materials, was the direct result. The Notebook reduces workshop preparation time significantly and is easily distributed. In addition, teachers not participating in our workshops can use the Notebook as a stand-alone product. Having the Notebook has made our workshop approach more flexible and efficient. We now modify our workshops using a modular approach, allowing us to provide everything from brief 1-2 hour workshops to more comprehensive 2-day workshops with field trips.

The GeoActivities Notebook was the first in a line of new educational materials developed by the ISGS over the past six years. Our production efforts have become more sophisticated over time. We have developed posters, released updated versions of our most popular educational products, and are working on an interactive CD-ROM to accompany the GeoActivities Notebook. Our most recent work is a publication series devoted to the Geology of Illinois State Parks.