A PRE-METHODS GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION CLASS FOR PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS BUILDS PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE, INQUIRY-BASED TEACHING SKILLS AND EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Laboratory Techniques in Earth Science (LTES) is a two-credit geoscience education course at SUNY Oneonta taught by geoscience faculty. Pre-service Earth Science teachers and some pre-service elementary teachers take the course prior to their traditional “methods” class. LTES is designed to build pedagogical content knowledge through experience with inquiry-based labs and the modification of confirmatory labs to be inquiry-based. Students design and present laboratory activities, evaluate existing resources, and discuss relevant articles from the science education literature. Research projects that develop models or strategies to teach large-scale or abstract geoscience concepts further integrate content and pedagogy. Some class projects have resulted in students presenting workshops for in-service teachers (Ebert 2006) and in presentations at geological and science education conferences. Such experiences develop educational leaders as evidenced by graduates that teach dual credit courses (e.g., SUNY Oneonta’s Earth Science Outreach Program) and participate actively in professional communities such as NESTA, NAGT and the ESPRIT listserv.

After completing LTES, students should be able to: 1) Evaluate the quality and utility of instructional resources, 2) Design and implement inquiry-based labs, 3) Create or improve physical models, laboratory investigations and demonstrations, 4) Transform "cook book" laboratory activities into inquiry-driven lessons that address content through experience, 5) Critically read primary literature in geoscience education and use this literature to inform decisions regarding choice, preparation and modification of instructional resources, 6) Actively participate as early-career professionals in a variety of venues such as conferences, professional development workshops and professional listservs, 7) Reflect thoughtfully on their own learning, teaching experiences and pedagogical decisions.

Although originally intended for pre-service Earth Science teachers, pre-service elementary teachers that take LTES report great benefits and better preparation for their science “methods” class. Further information on the course is available at http://serc.carleton.edu/teacherprep/courses/SUNYO-LabInv_role.html.