PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM AND UNIVERSITY FOR EARTH SCIENCE TEACHER PREPARATION REQUIRES UNDERSTANDING MULTIPLE MISSIONS

Brooklyn College, a public college of the City University of New York (CUNY) serving both graduate and undergraduate students, has been partnering with the American Museum of Natural History and Lehman College, also of CUNY, to prepare Earth science teachers in response to a critical shortage of qualified Earth science teachers in New York City.

Both institutions, the American Museum of Natural History and the City University of New York, support basic science and educational research. The mission of the university includes a commitment to equity, access and excellence, including a commitment to academic rigor. The mission of the American Museum of Natural History supports free-choice learning and an emphasis on teaching with “the real thing”, through access to the internationally known collections of the museum. Collaboration for teacher preparation has required all partners to develop ways to integrate the unique concerns and contributions of each partner. It has also required all partners to consider the requirements of the New York State Education Department for teacher-certification, and Earth science instruction, as well as changes in curriculum at the New York City Department of Education, which oversees the instruction of New York City's 1.1 million schoolchildren.

This poster will illustrate how museum researchers and educators have collaborated with college geology and education faculty to create a series of instructional experiences for Earth science teachers that reflect and respect the unique contributions of all parties and respond to the concerns and requirements of state and city regulations and policies.