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GSA Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington, USA - 2017

Paper No. 138-9
Presentation Time: 3:45 PM

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE TEACHERS IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA USING AUTHENTIC RESEARCH EXPERIENCES


SHUSTER, Robert D.1, DERE, Ashlee Laura Denton1, CUTUCACHE, Christine2, GRANDGENETT, Nealy F.3, TAPPRICH, William2 and RODIE, Steve4, (1)Department of Geography/Geology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68182, (2)Biology, University of Nebraska-Omaha, 6001 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68182, (3)Teacher Education, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68182, (4)Biology and Center for Urban Sustainability, University of Nebraska-Omaha, 6001 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68182, rshuster@unomaha.edu

The University of Nebraska at Omaha has partnered with the Omaha Public School District for the past three summers to provide authentic research experiences for in-service science teachers. The goal of this project was to provide a professional development opportunity in content and scientific process for teachers that will lead to a better understanding of how science is done, provide confidence for translation of research into the classroom, and to provide the opportunity for a science teacher to participate in a true inquiry experience. The Teacher-Researcher Partnership Program (TRPP) paired teachers with science faculty at UNO. Research projects lasted for 4 – 6 weeks and were highlighted by a capstone research symposium (a public poster presentation of their research). Taken together, these opportunities provide hands-on, mentored training in scientific research by university faculty to ultimately enhance K-12 science education.

The program assessed the teachers using a mixed-method approach. The major themes that emerged from the assessment were significant gains in science knowledge, confidence in teaching science, and perceptions of science by the teacher participants. Importantly, teachers reported a commitment to translate their research experiences into their classrooms with their students.

In this presentation, special attention will be given to TRPP experiences in the geosciences, specifically an investigation into geoscience education, a geoarchaeological study of pottery from Cyprus comparing clay derived from different sources, and a study of soil development in a restored prairie.

Session No. 138

T124. Practical Advice for In-Service and Pre-Service K–12 Earth Science Teacher Preparation and Professional Development
Monday, 23 October 2017: 1:30 PM-5:30 PM
Room 3A (Washington State Convention Center)
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 49, No. 6
doi: 10.1130/abs/2017AM-306792
© Copyright 2017 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.
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