The World in a River: Redesigning an entry level Earth Science course for Pre-Service Elementary Teachers through authentic investigations in a local watershed

University Of Delaware, Newark DE

Investigators

Abstract

This Exploration & Design project, of the Engaged Student Learning track of the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education program seeks to completely redesign the way teaching and learning occurs in the entry level Earth Science course that is required of all elementary pre-service teachers. In doing so, this project will assist in generating knowledge related to a national critical issue in elementary school STEM education, that of providing elementary teachers with the knowledge, confidence and skill to engage early learners in experiences in science that open the world of wonder of natural phenomena to them. Studies have shown that elementary teacher education students typically lack strong scientific content knowledge, have a limited understanding of the nature of science and scientific processes, and have limited confidence in their ability to learn and teach science. Furthermore, elementary and early childhood teachers report low-levels of self-efficacy, competency, and interest in teaching science; these attitudes are known to impact teachers'classroom science instruction and the amount of time spent teaching science. The redesigned Earth Science course will be developed within the framework of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and will allow aspiring teachers to experience the practice of doing science, while also learning how to access and interpret environmental data on the Internet. The overarching theme will be Earth system processes as exemplified within a single stream watershed; each unit will be tied to observations the students can make in the field and online. The goal of this project is threefold: to increase student learning and skill development, bolster the confidence of these future teachers in their ability to teach science, and increase their motivation to learn science. This project will develop a strategy for teaching Earth Science to pre-service teachers that is place-based, hands-on, and technologically enriched. It will involve taking students to the field to collect authentic data, as well as using data from observatories such as the Delaware Environmental Observing System and the NSF Christina River Basin Critical Zone Observatory, as a bridge between fieldwork activity and classroom/lab instruction. Using a design-based approach - with iterative design, enactment, analysis, and redesign cycles - will allow the project team to test and evaluate the impact of these research-based pedagogical approaches and curriculum modifications on pre-service teacher learning. It will also inform educational research on Earth Science instruction for non-majors, as well as broader understandings of how pre-service teachers learn and engage with these concepts. The project requires approaching the Earth Science content knowledge expected of elementary teachers from almost the opposite perspective of that represented in the standard Earth Science textbooks and curriculum, inverting the broad survey character of the standard course by following the story arc of a single Earth system, a watershed. By the end of the re-envisioned course, the following learning outcomes are expected: students will understand key processes within the Earth system as emphasized by the NGSS, be able to access, plot, and map online environmental data, be able to design and implement a basic scientific investigation, be more engaged with and aware of the set of practices that are science, and be more comfortable with teaching science. The team will use a design-based approach to curriculum improvement, with iterative design, enactment, analysis, and redesign cycles. During the three-year term of the project, the project will employ a quasi-experimental design where the outcomes of the newly designed course will be compared with the outcomes of the traditional-format course for both small classes and a large class at the University of Delaware. The approaches and findings emanating from this project have the potential to be of benefit to other institutions who wish to implement a similar program using the rich resources of their specific local context to enrich the teaching and learning experience of pre-service elementary teachers and their future students. The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program is providing co-funding for this project in recognition of its alignment with the broader teacher preparation goals of the Noyce effort.