PREPARING FUTURE TEACHERS TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT OUTDOOR LEARNING THROUGH A COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROJECT

Preparing undergraduate students for a career in earth and space science education (ESSE) involves years of education courses with corresponding classroom practicum. However, experiences preparing future teachers in outdoor learning are equally important. The benefits of outdoor learning are irreplaceable with any other form of teaching: students take an active part in their learning through experiencing and discovering for themselves what their teachers have only begun to show them. Additionally, future ESSE teachers can gain invaluable organizational skills if they are given an opportunity to help design, implement, and supervise an outdoor learning program.

Fossil Fest, an outdoor learning experience for 1st through 6th graders in central PA, provided ESSE students an opportunity to develop skills that go beyond typical education curriculum. ESSE students participated in all phases of this program: an ESSE student shared project development, management, and supervisory tasks; and ESSE students served as small group leaders. The ESSE project supervisor was involved with all phases of project development, including site selection, locating corporate sponsors, and assigning and training group leaders.

During Fossil Fest, 200 children gladly took the role of seekers of past life, while learning about the geologic history of their hometown through fossil collecting and small group discussions. Two collecting sites were carefully chosen to prevent overcrowding and to accommodate the capabilities of different age groups. Younger children visited a site which had few steep slopes and contained easily recognized 3-D fossils. Older children visited a site, with a bit steeper terrain, that had a wider variety of fossils, requiring more careful examination of the rocks. The key components to insure the success of Fossil Fest were to match group leaders with groups of ten elementary students and to have one supervisor at each site organizing and helping these groups. Through group discussions, children first learned about fossilization and ancient life and then, armed with collecting bags and ID guides, collected fossils. Group leaders helped children identify and better understand the collected fossils throughout the event. This highly successful program provided future ESSE teacher a new educational strategy.