SUMMER RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IN EARTH MAGNETISM: THE TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVE

The 2012 summer research experience in Earth magnetism at Michigan Tech allowed for the incorporation of two teachers into a research project aimed at quantifying the strength and morphology of the Precambrian geomagnetic field via detailed paleomagnetic analyses. As teacher participants, we are actively working toward incorporating this experience to showcase "real world" applications of electrical and magnetic concepts in a nontraditional manner using paleomagnetism as a pedagogical vehicle. In both classrooms, the experience gained from being a part of an active research team, participating in field work, data acquisition, and interpretation, are providing a means for us to move beyond the textbook, allowing our students access to and participation in innovative inquiry-based research. Integration of active research into the classroom has resulted in noticeable increases in our students’ ability to engage and understand the physics underlying geomagnetism and concepts related to Earth processes. Tangible student outcomes, thus far, from our experience have included construction of simple magnetometers; classroom discussions related to why the Earth has an atmosphere, the age of the inner core, and the interdisciplinary nature of geophysics; and, perhaps most importantly, a greater understanding of the scientific method and that the same method is employed in research laboratories and the classroom. Students love to go “beyond the textbook” to build on the basic Earth composition topics – it is like learning something secret about the Earth that no one else has seen, rather than compiling a list of facts. Teachers also love to go “beyond the textbook”, allowing for real world presentation of concepts in physics and processes used in scientific inquiry and analyses with students. This presentation is an assessment of the 2012 summer research experience, and will provide perspectives from us, the teachers, and input from our students concerning Earth science projects undertaken during the past year.