LOOKING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF GEOSCIENTIST: FINDING THEM THROUGH LITERACY IN LANGUAGE, SCIENCE, AND MATHEMATICS IN THE ASAP PROGRAM

The next generation of geoscientist is not hidden; they just need to be taught in a meaningful and inviting way. Students at TC Williams High School taking 10^th grade earth science hated their science and math class. They did not feel valued and their average reading level was 3 to 5 years below grade. No wonder they disliked reading a chapter and answering questions. It’s critical for diverse learners to be able to compete with their peers. Project SHARE (Science History And Reading Education) was invented to build science and language literacy and was applied to 348 students over 3 years with impressive results. ESL passing rates on the Earth Science end of year exam increased from 17 to 60%; “At Risk” from 70 to 75%; and Special Needs from 50 to 85%. At least 98% of the students graduated and 50% are in a STEM field.

Teacher quality is a critical factor for improving student performance. We expanded strategies from Project SHARE to include literacy in mathematics and Problem Based Learning (PBL) to build confidence and skills. The goal was to improve teacher quality and increase the number of students proficient in Title 1 middle schools; so students would like math and science upon reaching high school. In the process, we decided to integrate science and mathematics with technology, engineering, and literacy creating the Accelerated STEM Academic Pipeline (ASAP) program. We had 50 participants who learned how to integrate common core STEM concepts with literacy strategies and PBL.

We discovered that significant numbers of teachers were not confident in their pedagogical content knowledge, most of the science teachers were switching to Earth science and did not feel prepared. Integrating core concepts in math and science helped the teachers establish their own proficiency and confidence. Adding language literacy and Positive Group Interaction strategies taught the teachers how to engage students with helpful tools for learning math and science. Integrating STEM education with literacy strategies produces teachers who can engage diverse and underrepresented groups in building the skills to be proficient in math and science. To broaden participation of diverse learners in the geosciences we must have teachers who are proficient in math and earth science as well as passionate about engaging students with the best literacy strategies.