IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF EARTH SCIENCE TEACHING IN MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS IN TEXAS: THE G-CAMP APPROACH

Several years ago, the State of Texas introduced Earth and space studies into the high school curriculum. Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that the number of teachers qualified to teach geology at the high-school level was surprisingly inadequate. In addition, changes in the Texas Essential Knowledge of Skills (TEKS) have placed a new focus on geologic processes and reasoning in the K-12 curriculum. To address these challenges, we created Geology Camp for Teachers (G-Camp), a summer field experience to educate teachers in the geosciences, and to train them to look at the landscape through the eyes of a geologist. The summer-field experience, based on the traditional geology field camp approach, gives participants the opportunity to spend two weeks in the field in sites throughout Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico.

We focus on Earth processes as they relate to the State of Texas assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR^®). Teachers learn by seeing and interpreting the results of tectonics and plate dynamics, sedimentology, stratigraphy, volcanism and surface processes. Although teachers are introduced to the broad field of geological processes, our emphasis is on geomorphic processes, as that is the part of Earth that teachers and students can readily identify with on a daily basis. We integrate our study of Earth across the curriculum by linking the study of geological processes to physics, chemistry, math and environmental science. Exercises include creating basic rock identification, strategic columns, field surveying, geologic mapping, landscape sketching, and the technologically tools modern geologists use. We also provide our teachers with high-quality multi-media products produced during G-Camp for use in their classrooms. This enables them to share their experience with their students and also with their fellow teachers. By doing this, we are able to greatly expand the benefits of the G-Camp experience.

Funded by contributions from the petroleum industry since 2009, G-Camp accommodates 30 teachers each summer. Each teacher is issued a geology field kit, which includes a tub for sample storage of collected specimens; hand lens, rock hammer, safety glasses, ruler, protractor, GPS, iPad^®, and field book. Various apps including Google Earth^®, LandForms^®, and FieldMove^® were very useful for the teachers.