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2015 GSA Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, USA (1-4 November 2015)

Paper No. 60-6
Presentation Time: 2:50 PM

FIELD AND LAB PRACTICUM PROVIDES TOOLS TO INSPIRE GEOSCIENCE CLASSROOM LEARNING


EBEL, Denton S.1, KINZLER, Rosamond J.2, HARLOW, George E.3, WEBSTER, James D.4, SESSA, Jocelyn A.5, NADEAU, Patricia A.4 and USTUNISIK, Gokce3, (1)Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St, New York, NY 10024; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, 61 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964; The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10016, (2)Education, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, (3)Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, (4)American Museum of Natural History, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Central Park West at 79th St., New York, NY 10024, (5)Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St, New York, NY 10024, debel@amnh.org

A third cohort of AMNH Master of Arts in Teaching (Earth Science) program graduates will begin teaching in high-needs NY state schools in fall 2015 [1, 2]. The candidates experience informal science education, high-leverage practices in science teaching, a pre-service urban teaching residency, and in the second summer a Science Practicum Residency during which candidates engage in hands-on research and field work under the supervision of AMNH scientists. A two-year induction program supports graduates as they embark on teaching careers.

During the 7-week Practicum, candidates engage in fieldwork and in lab research. They gain an understanding of local geological history via a week-long fieldtrip and 4 more day trips focused on observable urban geology. They learn proper methods for collecting, recording, and organizing data. Mentors from previous cohorts accompany field teams, providing best-practice advice from their own classroom experiences with urban secondary school students in the geosciences. Candidates collect a wide diversity of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks (and fossils) in the NY highlands, Newark Basin, and Catskill Delta. They can cut and polish these samples at AMNH. They inspire future students by bringing samples they collected themselves and images of their field and lab work, all directly to their classrooms.

Additionally, candidates complete a small research project in paleontology, astronomy, mineralogy-petrology or experimental petrology, which includes sample/data collection, sample preparation, laboratory analysis, data interpretation, and reporting of results in both written and oral format. They also compile a teaching resource, such as a suite of rocks and corresponding photographs and video, with lesson plans for use in future classrooms.

This model closely connects museum scientists and new teachers for ongoing mutual development. Evaluations reveal that by program’s end, candidates exhibit comfort in navigating both the arenas of science and secondary education. They are well equipped to inspire and communicate NY Regents level geoscience to diverse populations in their high needs classrooms.

[1] http://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/master-of-arts-in-teaching

[2] Nadeau P. A. et al. 2013. EOS 94:205-212.

Session No. 60

T71. Enticing Urban Youth to the Geosciences
Sunday, 1 November 2015: 1:30 PM-5:30 PM
Room 324 (Baltimore Convention Center)
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 47, No. 7, p.190
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