Earth Education for Sustainable Societies Workshop

Williams College, Williamstown MA

Investigators

Abstract

Current priorities in science education include efforts to engage students in scientific reasoning and using the knowledge and practices of science to understand natural phenomena and constructively respond to local and global challenges. This project responds to these priorities by bringing together representatives of diverse geoscience education communities in a workshop to identify high-priority needs for strengthening geoscience education broadly, and to initiate plans for addressing the identified needs through curriculum development and teacher professional development activities. In the context of global and local environmental challenges, workshop participants will consider educational priorities associated with understanding Earth systems, promoting geoscience literacy, and exploring sustainable solutions. Workshop participants will also consider desirable skills students might acquire for future employment in the sciences, with particular emphasis on ways to diversity the population of students prepared to address issues of sustainability. Working groups established during the workshop will continue after the workshop, using virtual meeting tools to continue collaborative efforts. This 3-day Earth Education for Sustainable Societies workshop will extend and enhance activities initiated by the previously funded STEP Center: InTeGrate: Interdisciplinary Teaching of Geoscience for a Sustainable Future (NSF award 1125331). The Center has developed curriculum materials for teaching geoscience in the context of societal issues, and it has initiated teacher professional development programs and communities of practice. This project will build on those efforts by bringing together participants in the previous project with other researchers and educators within and outside the geoscience education community who want to engage in teaching, research, or outreach activities related to learning about sustainability and Earth systems. A comprehensive recruitment strategy will be used to ensure broad diversity of disciplinary perspectives, cultural perspectives, and institutional affiliations. Prior to the workshop, participants will be invited to attend a Town Hall and or webinars to gain background information and an overview of project resources and expectations. By providing multiple ways of preparing for and participating in the planned workshop, the project will both expand and diversify the existing community of practice and promote ongoing collaborations to address high-priority needs identified by workshop participants. Participants will be encouraged to form ongoing Working Groups and use virtual meeting tools to continue discussions and collaborative efforts. The Discovery Research PreK-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by PreK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.