INTEGRATING INQUIRY-BASED INSTRUCTION IN K-12 EARTH SCIENCE CLASSROOMS

Michigan Teacher Excellence Program (MiTEP) offers cohorts of teachers in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Jackson Publics Schools a variety of experiences that are utilized to improve the teaching and learning of K-12 Earth Science topics within the classroom. The integration of inquiry-based teaching and learning in this setting is facilitated by summer experiences throughout the state of Michigan, as well as Pedagogy-Content days. These educator “in-service” days allow for teachers to collaborate in the creation or modification of lessons for use within their classrooms. This session will outline the introduction of inquiry-based education to the MiTEP participant and will also illustrate how it is being utilized as a theme within the MiTEP experience for K-12 teachers.