MINERALS: A UNIFYING THEME FOR EARTH SCIENCE INSTITUTE FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS

A program has been developed and successfully implemented using minerals as a unifying theme for a five-week institute for in-service teachers to enhance the teaching and learning of science in middle and high school grades. This teacher development through research experiences program brings together miners, engineers, research scientists and middle and high school teachers to participate in research activities surrounding minerals. The goals of the program are to (a) provide an inquiry-based active learning environment for members of scientist/teacher teams through hands-on field experiences and laboratory work; (b) increase the ability of teachers to discover and apply scientific knowledge and reasoning to real world situations; (c) equip teachers with skills and materials to explore the world about them and to integrate skills into classroom practice; and (d) demonstrate through hands-on experiences how to integrate concepts in mathematics, physics and chemistry with other academic disciplines such as economics, history and social sciences.

Every year, 24 select middle and high school science teachers across the U.S. participate in a three-week program that includes content knowledge and pedagogical skills preparation, research with scientists and engineers in active and inactive mines, collecting and cataloguing mineral specimens. The 24 teachers return during the following summer for two weeks of additional research experiences and to hone leadership and change agent skills to enhance transfer to the classroom. Some of the teachers are visited by the program staff during the school year to provide support and to convene follow-up meetings for program improvement and to assess progress in meeting program goals. More than 117 teachers from 30 states in the U.S. have participated in the program since its inception in 2001. Assessments conducted by external evaluators show that the program is accomplishing its goals. Activities conducted during the program, which range from mineral exploration, through mining and mineral processing, are discussed. The program serves as model for teaching and learning in the local environment and of integration of research with education.