INCREASING SECONDARY EDUCATION SCIENCE TEACHERS' KNOWLEDGE OF THE ROCK CYCLE THROUGH A SHORT COURSE

Research indicates that college students have significant conceptual barriers that prevent them from understanding the rock cycle from a geologic perspective. We evaluate whether in-service secondary education science teachers as well have these same deep-rooted misconceptions, that not only prevent teachers from truly understanding how rocks form, but also prevent them from correctly and compellingly informing their own students about the rock cycle. Education research supports our premise, as it shows that areas in which secondary education teachers have a poor understanding of content material correlate with low student scores in those areas on standardized tests.

Based on the research showing the areas in which students do poorly on standardized tests, a short course was created through the Rhode Island Technology Enhanced Science Project (RITES) a NSF-MSP funded grant. Over a two and half day short course, secondary education science teachers participated in activities that used a broad spectrum of learning tools to address misconceptions in the rock cycle, as well as give the teachers new approaches to teaching the rock cycle in their classrooms. For example, processes involved in rocks forming and changing were emphasized, and common misconceptions were explicitly noted. In addition, active learning techniques (such as gallery walk, jigsaw, think-pair-share, field trip, ConcepTests, Lecture Tutorial, and moving around the classroom to gain a better understanding of spatial distribution and geologic time) were used to further draw out and emphasize common misconceptions.

Formative and summative evaluations of the short course showed that the methods used were successful in addressing the conceptual barriers that these teachers faced. By the end of the course, teachers were able to form a deeper understanding of the rock cycle, and by giving them the tools needed to help their students form an accurate geologic perspective, there will be the potential to raise test scores in these areas. Assessment of student understanding of the rock cycle, over the upcoming year, will be used to determine the extent to which insights teachers gained in the short course are transferred to their students.