HR: 1340h
AN: ED23A-1241    [Abstracts]
TI: Earth2Class Overview: An Innovative Program Linking Classroom Educators and Research Scientists
AU: * Passow, M
EM: michael@earth2class.org
AF: White Plains Middle School, 128 Grandview Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605 United States
AU: Iturrino, G J
EM: iturrino@ldeo.columbia.edu
AF: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Borehole Research Group Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964 United States
AU: Baggio, F D
EM: fred01@bagio.com
AF: Baggio Technology, Rua Vergueiro, 2087 Sala 1601, Sao Paulo, 04101 000 Brazil
AU: Assumpcao, C M
EM: cmattos@colband.com.br
AF: Colegio Bandeirantes, Coord. Tecnologia na Educacao, Sao Paulo, 04101 000 Brazil
AB: The Earth2Class (E2C) workshops, held at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO), provide an effective model for improving knowledge, teaching, and technology skills of middle and high school science educators through ongoing interactions with research scientists and educational technology. With support from an NSF GeoEd grant, E2C has developed monthly workshops, web-based resources, and summer institutes in which classroom teachers and research scientists have produced exemplar curriculum materials about a wide variety of cutting-edge geoscience investigations suitable for dissemination to teachers and students. Some of the goals of this program are focused to address questions such as: (1) What aspects of the E2C format and educational technology most effectively connect research discoveries with classroom teachers and their students? (2) What benefits result through interactions among teachers from highly diverse districts and backgrounds with research scientists, and what benefits do the scientists gain from participation? (3) How can the E2C format serve as a model for other research institution-school district partnerships as a mechanism for broader dissemination of scientific discoveries? E2C workshops have linked LDEO scientists from diverse research specialties-seismology, marine geology, paleoclimatology, ocean drilling, dendrochronology, remote sensing, impact craters, and others-with teachers from schools in the New York metropolitan area. Through the workshops, we have trained teachers to enhance content knowledge in the Earth Sciences and develop skills to incorporate new technologies. We have made a special effort to increase the teaching competency of K-12 Earth Sciences educators serving in schools with high numbers of students from underrepresented groups, thereby providing greater role models to attract students into science and math careers. E2C sponsored Earth Science Teachers Conferences, bringing together educators from New York and New Jersey to consider challenges facing classroom teachers trying to incorporate recent research discoveries into the curriculum. Their efforts led to creating web-based resources that provide succinct statements of core concepts, essential vocabulary lists, selected labs, activities, and links to Internet sites providing scientific information that may not be incorporated into textbooks for years. The E2C web site (www.earth2class.org), has become an important resource for Earth Science educators. It provides an effective format for disseminating results of scientific research to teachers and students through a workshop section that includes an introduction, links to scientific discoveries, and suggestions for classroom applications. The educational resources section provides extensive curricular materials, including lesson plans, classroom activities, and links to state and national Science Education Standards. Overall, E2C seeks to make significant contributions to national efforts for creating networks of science researchers working with classroom teachers and teacher-trainers seeking effective methods for innovative instructional techniques, problem-solving strategies, and professional development, as well as meeting the challenges of state and national mandates.
DE: 0805 Elementary and secondary education
DE: 0810 Post-secondary education
DE: 0820 Curriculum and laboratory design
DE: 0830 Teacher training
DE: 0845 Instructional tools
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005