TEACHING TEACHERS THROUGH FIELD EXPERIENCES: A STUDY ON THE EARTH-SYSTEM APPROACH FOR EARTH SCIENCE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

The current weak state of science education in the United States is resulting in a generation of students who lack exposure to scientific investigation, leaving the U.S. far behind other countries in both the science and technology fields. Comprehensive science education reform requires the collaboration of scientists and educators at all levels. Teaching Teachers through Field Experiences trained local elementary school teachers in the basic techniques of today's Earth scientists using the Earth-system approach to learning. This 4-day, field-based workshop used the natural outdoor laboratory of southern Nevada to improve the science teaching of local 3rd through 5th grade educators. During 2 full-day field experiences, teachers performed exercises that reinforced the observation of the Earth as an interconnected set of systems. Assessments, surveys and interviews were conducted both prior to and after the field experiences. These assessments were used to determine what effect field-based experiences had on teacher knowledge and confidence in teaching Earth science. Results indicate that the Earth science content knowledge of teachers increased and teachers felt more comfortable leading field trips, however confidence in teaching science in general did not change. Inexperienced teachers expressed the need for more basic experiences such as rock identification, whereas experienced teachers sought the most basic experiences provided by Earth-system science. Based on these results, we concluded that many of our 3rd – 5th grade teachers did not have the background knowledge necessary to fully understand the Earth as a system. It was also concluded that future field experiences should focus on either the novices or experts separately.