Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education: Earth Science by Design: Visualizing the Big Ideas

Terc Inc, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

In this project, TERC and the American Geological Institute have distilled the Earth science curriculum down to the essential knowledge and skills by focusing on the core ideas of the discipline, which they call the "big ideas of science." The approach is based on "Understanding by Design" and aims to help teachers cover less material but do so more thoroughly and with the learning goals clearly in mind. It includes two-week summer institutes in content and pedagogy, trial teaching with peer observations and two mini conferences. Materials are developed to help middle school teachers use the freely-available scientific visualizations from NASA, NOAA, USGS and others. Two years of middle school field tests for the materials will be done in New England. In the third year, staff developers will work with ten districts to field test a handbook and launch "Earth Science by Design" in their districts. The deliverables include the Handbook, the website and at least 120 hours of inservice experiences for 250 teachers. The materials will be disseminated by print and on the World Wide Web. They will be complete, containing everything needed by school districts, museums and others to institute professional development programs for middle school science teachers to be entitled "Earth Science by Design."