A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT APPROACH FOR TEACHING SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE INVESTIGATIONS WITH MOBILE GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGIES

Many teachers have not had professional development experiences that provide them with geospatial pedagogical content knowledge necessary for implementing socio-environmental science curriculum that uses geospatial technologies to promote both Earth science literacy and the development of geospatial thinking skills. To address this, we have developed and implemented an approach to promote teachers’ professional growth with curriculum-linked professional development that supports the adoption of novel socio-environmental science investigations (SESI) using a geospatial curriculum approach in an urban high school. SESI are based on the pedagogical frameworks of place-based education, socioscientific issues-based instruction, and citizen science. The investigations focus on local problems and are designed to engage students in examining problems and in utilizing data collection to gather evidence in local settings. In order to promote STEM-related workforce skills, the inquiry-based investigations are also designed to take advantage of recent developments in powerful, mobile geospatial technologies. The content focuses on social issues related to the Earth and environmental sciences, while the pedagogy is inquiry-driven, engaging students in hands-on work with data to answer open-ended questions. Analysis of geospatial data and examination of relevant social science content is used to incorporate decision-making into the investigations. We use a design partnership model that includes education professors with expertise in curriculum design and development with geospatial technologies, content experts in the earth and environmental sciences and social sciences, classroom teachers, and industry partners that use geospatial technologies in their occupation, and who also serve as mentors in the classroom. The project’s professional development activities also include an online component designed to enhance teachers’ content background knowledge and to help develop their geospatial pedagogical content knowledge. The presentation includes the professional development model, the geospatial curriculum approach, and the ecological services and urban heat islands SESI investigations.