Describes summer institutes for urban teachers in Milwaukee that centered on several Lake Michigan beaches within the bounds of their school district. Compares the sand from four different beaches for grain size, magnetite content, as well as fossil and modern Zebra Mussel Shells. Encourages good field trip teaching practices. Includes 19…

Reports that with proper preparation and pre-assessment of student expectations, geoscience courses can be effectively taught with supplementary materials reflecting minority group frames of reference. Indicates that inclusion of environmental justice oriented content may not effectively attract and retain students of color from non-science…

Uses four traditions of geography (spatial, area studies, human-environment interaction, and earth science) to show how poetry can be used to enhance the teaching of geography. Illustrates the explicitly spatial concepts present in selected poetry. (DAJ)

Describes a hands-on lesson for teaching high school students the concept of the rock cycle using sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. Students use a rock cycle diagram to identify pairs of rocks. From the rock cycle, students explain on paper how their first rock became the second rock and vice versa. (PVD)

Disabled students form a significant but under represented minority in higher education in the UK. Participation appears to be particularly low in disciplines that contain a fieldwork component. Fieldwork has been recognized as a barrier to the participation of disabled students. This paper emphasizes a critical perspective on fieldwork,…

This study examines the possibilities of differential impacts on students' earth science learning outcomes between different preferred-actual learning environment spaces by using a newly developed ESCLEI (Earth Science Classroom Learning Environment Instrument). The instrument emphasizes three simultaneously important classroom components:…

Environmental community service projects provide many opportunities for students to help the environment and connect with their communities. In Washington State, students are allowed to obtain a high school varsity letter in community service if they complete over 150 community service hours in a calendar year. To help students toward this goal,…

Describes an activity in which students are asked to write an essay on the Crustal Displacement hypothesis, an hypothesis that is inconsistent with the accepted understanding of crustal and mantle processes. The assignment is useful because it forces students to solidify their understanding of plate tectonics by applying their knowledge in a new…

Pupils need to grasp many linked concepts to understand how observed magnetic stripes can be produced by sea floor spreading, as required by some courses. This article suggest simple practical demonstrations that can be of great help. (Contains 2 online resources and 2 figures.)

Conversational technologies such as email, chat rooms, and blogs have made the transition from novel communication technologies to powerful tools for learning. Currently virtual worlds are undergoing the same transition. We argue that the next wave of innovation is at the level of the computer interface, and that mixed-reality environments offer…

Geoscience topics are playing an increasingly important role with regard to the future of our planet. Consequently, they have been moving into the educational foreground because of their societal relevance. The question is, however: Are pupils interested in these topics? This is important didactically, for interest is both a prerequisite and a…

In this study we inquired into the qualifications of public secondary school teachers by examining whether or not teachers met the No Child Left Behind Act's ([NCLB] 2002) definition of "highly qualified" immediately prior to the law's enactment. We examined this by core academic subjects (English, social studies, math, and science) and,…

Science education reform is an ongoing process. In recent years many have begun to look not only to teachers for change, but they are also insisting on the involvement of administrators, parents, community members, and some business organizations to bring about this change. This book presents facts and insights regarding science education reform…

This curriculum guide includes a brief textbook, a hands-on activity guide, and resource listings. The textbook provides background information in solar physics for teachers and contains problems suitable for advanced students at the end of each chapter. Topics covered in the textbook include stellar evolution, the structure of the sun, methods of…

This research examined the significance of facet selection in a multi-facet Rasch model analysis. The residuals or remaining error in a multi-facet Rasch model were further studied in the context of a full and reduced data-to-model fit chi-square, given the specific design. In addition, main effect facet contributions to person measures and the…