EARTH SCIENCE AS A CONTEXT FOR IMPROVING THE COMPETENCE AND CONFIDENCE OF ELEMENTARY TEACHERS

Basic Earth science holds intrinsic appeal for young children as they make sense of their world. Many natural physical processes happen at spatial and temporal scales that are accessible to children. Informal education programs have long exploited the power of outdoor activities to engage children’s curiosity as well as their need for physical activity. Yet Earth science is often absent from the K-5 curriculum, and if present, is rarely quantitative in nature. We believe that one reason for this is elementary teachers’ lack of scientific competence and confidence.

Two programs at the National Center for STEM Education at St. Catherine University in St. Paul Minnesota, address this challenge. In graduate and undergraduate elementary teacher preparation, a series of courses in science of the environment combine science and pedagogy. Each course was designed and is co-taught by a member of the science faculty with a member of the education faculty. Incorporating practical tools such as physical models and GLOBE protocols, courses take advantage of the integrative nature of Earth science to engage future teachers and ultimately students in the quantitative science of the world around them. In SCU’s Center for Contemporary Montessori Programs, a two year graduate certificate program engages practicing elementary teachers in the science and mathematics of engineering and Earth science, to prepare them for the combined challenges of teaching integrated STEM content within a Montessori context.

Both programs work closely with the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics,a National Science Foundation funded Science and Technology Center, the Science Museum of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory to bring contemporary research and research methods to these pre- and in-service teachers. Teachers have opportunities to learn how scientists work with museum exhibit designers to bring science to the public; they have opportunities to experience a large research laboratory and to interact with scientists and graduate students through internships. This unique partnership between educators and scientists in a variety of educational setting offers elementary teachers many opportunities to understand the power of Earth science to engage their students in all the sciences.