ERIC ED385446: High School Symposium for Earth Systems Education (Columbus, Ohio, October 1994). Proceedings and Summary.

142 Pages·1995·3.7 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 385 446
SE 056 769
AUTHOR
Fortner, Rosanne W., Ed.; Mayer, Victor J., Ed.
TITLE
High School Symposium for Earth Systems Education
(Columbus, Ohio, October 1994). Proceedings and
Summary.
PUB DATE
95
NOTE
158p.
AVAILABLE FROM
Ohio State University, School of Natural Resources,
ECEI Program, 2021 Coffey Rd., Columbus, OH 43210
($10).
PUB TYPE
Conference Proceedings (021)
Collected Works
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PC07 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
Course Descriptions; *Curriculum Development;
*Educational Change; Educational Resources;
Environmental Education; High Schools;
Interdisciplinary Approach; Lesson Plans; *Science
Curriculum; Units of Study
IDENTIFIERS
*Earth Systems Education
ABSTRACT
This volume contains the proceedings and summary for
the Earth Systems Education high school symposium conducted in
October, 1994. Selected participants were invited to contribute
papers for inclusion in this volume so that other teachers can see
how Earth Systems Education (ESE) looks in practice. The volume also
contains the context for ESE in terms of the National Science
Education Standards, innovative technologies, and key university
developments. The proceedings are presented in the following
a symposium overview; (2) restructuring the science
sections:
(1)
curriculum; (3) description of ESE; .(4) ESE interface with National
Science Education Standards;
(5) ESE in context including a teacher's
view, ESE at the college level, and ESE in international
telecommunications (the GLOBE program); (6) issues in high school
science curriculum restructure;
(7) participant presentation
(8) technology support and resources for ESE (includes
transcripts;
handouts and additional related information);
(9) references cited
(contains 14 entries); and (10) appendix. The appendix contains the
symposium agenda and participant list, a summary of five published
articles concerning the philosophy and history behind ESE, and an
annotated bibliography of 50 books and articles useful for assisting
teachers in transitions to ESE. Presentations discussing courses
(1) "Biological and Earth Systems Science (BESS)";
include:
(2)
(3) "Advance Earth Systems Science
"Earth Systems Regents Course";
(4) "NASA Classroom of the Future";
and Technology";
(5) "Earth
Systems Education"; (6) "Vision--Columbus Urban Systemic Initiative";
(7)"Integrated Science"; and (8) "Field Biology." Presentations of
units and lessons include:
(1) "Case Studies in Environmental
(2) "Interdisciplinary Study of the Cache La Poudre River";
Science";
(3) "Integrating ESE into the High School Curriculum"; and (4) "What
Affects Ozone Levels?." (LZ)
EDUCATION
EARTH SYSTEMS
High School Symposium
October 1994
Proceedings and
Summary
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2
Proceedings of the High School Symposium
for Earth Systems Education
Produced by the
Program for Leadership in Earth Systems Education
under a grant from the National Science Foundation
Division of Teacher Enhancement
The Ohio State University
Rosanne W. Fortner and Victor J. Mayer, Editors
Shonna Campbell, Comunications Associate
© The Ohio State University Research Foundation
May 1995
printed on recycled paper
3
T
059 Ramseyer Hall
Earth Systems Education Program
H
E
29 West Woodruff Avenue
OHIO
Columbus,
011
43210-1177
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Phone [phone]
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UNIVERSITY
Subject:
Symposium Proceedings
Date:
May 22, 1995
From:
Rosanne Fortner
To:
Symposium participants and selected others
Attached is the volume of Proceedings for the Earth Systems Education high school symposium we
conducted here in October. One of the culminating activities of the Program for Leadership in Earth
Systems Education, it attracted over 40 high school teacher participants from 18 states.
Selected participants were invited to provide papers for inclusion in this volume, so that other teachers
can see how Earth Systems Education (ESE) looks in practice. The volume also includes the context
for ESE in terms of the National Science Education Standards, innovative technologies, and key
university developments.
The book is being sent to leaders in science and environmental education as well as to the participants.
A limited number of extra copies of this volume are available from the Earth Systems Education office
at $10, which includes shipping and handling. Checks should be made payable to The Ohio State
University. The proceedings will be available on ERIC and through the Eisenhower Clearinghouse in
the future.
You may also wish to obtain a copy of Science is a Study of Earth: A Resource Guide for Science
Curriculum Restructure. This loose-leaf volume is the outcome of four years of NSF teacher
enhancement and materials review. It includes illustrated copies of published works on ESE, sample
activities for infusion at elementary, middle and high school levels, constructivist teaching methods
and alternative assessments, resources for interdisciplinary science teaching, and a full-color poster of
the seven Earth Systems Understandings. At the present time, teachers requesting a copy on school
letterhead may have Science is a Study of Earth for $5, the cost of first class shipping and handling.
Others may order copies at $20 each from The Ohio State University, address above.
Thank you for your continued interest in and support of Earth Systems Education.
4
EARTH SYSTEMS EDUCATION
High School Symposium
October 1994
Table of Contents
Introduction: Symposium overview
1
Restructuring the Science Curriculum
1
Earth Systems Education
3
ERIC Digest Earth Systems Education
4
Expanded Framework of Understandings
6
ESE interface with National Science Education Standards
7
National Standards Update
9
Earth Systems Education in Context
25
ESE A Teacher's View
27
Earth System Science at the College Level
29
GLOBE Program: Applying ESE in international
telecommunication
37
Issues in High School Science Curriculum Restructure
41
Participant Presentations
45
Technology Support and Resources for ESE
107
References Cited
136
Appendices
Symposium agenda
Participant list
Exploring Earth Systems Education
Earth Systems Education Bibliography
Earth Systems Education
High School Symposium
Overview
On October 13-16, 1994, the Program for Leadership in Earth Systems Education
(PLESE) sponsored a symposium at The Ohio State University to focus on models and
challenges for implementing ESE and Curriculum restructure at the high school level.
Leaders in science and science education on the national level were invited to discuss
trends with implications for the curriculum, and teachers implementing a systems
approach in high school science shared their methods and materials. Conference
participants were supported through a National science Foundation grant Teacher
Enhancement Division (NSF #TPE-8955248).
The goal of the symposium was to provide professional support for teachers
attempting to restructure the science curriculum in high school. Specific objectives
were to
legitimize change in light of national trends and standards
1)
focus on ESE as a model for science curriculum restructure
2)
provide opportunities for networking with other science teachers and
3)
education leaders
offer science and technology updates for classroom users
4)
introduce support syStems in science, education, resources, and Such.
5)
This report serves as the Proceedings volume for the Symposium but also offers
additional resources requested by the participating teachers. The report supplements
Science is a Study of Earth: A Resource Guide for Science Curriculum Restructure (Mayer,
Fortner & Hoyt, eds., 1995), the outcome volume for the five years of NYSE.
Restructuring the Science Curriculum
Numerous efforts are underway in the 1990s to restructure science education in
response to growing concerns that the existing "layer cake" (discipline-ordered)
approach to science lacks relevance to students, prepares them poorly in life skills that
demand science literacy, leaves US students lagging on standardized international
tests of science knowledge, and ignores or perhaps even perpetuates naive
conceptions in science. The primary efforts to change these patterns have emerged
from and had the support of national organizations in science and education:
Project 2061 is a program of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS). Through its book Science for All Americans (AAAS, 1989) and the
1
Fi
associated science discipline booklets detailing background information, this project
identified science concepts that every high school graduate in the United States should
know. Major contributions of this effort include the idea that "less is more," or a
curriculum that deals with fewer concepts in greater detail is preferred over the
traditional vocabulary-laden mini-college courses common in US secondary schools.
Follow-up work through selected school districts has produced several models for
implementing the curriculum changes implied by 2061, and has resulted in a set of
Benchmarks for Science Literacy (AAAS, 1993)for designing the course sequences and
gauging the progress of students in science through their school careers.
Scope, Sequence and Coordination (NSTA, 1992) was an effort of the National
Science Teachers Association to outline a secondary science curriculum for grades? -12
that coordinated the science disciplines and focused on major concepts that would be
revisited at various grade levels in progressing degrees of complexity and scale. A
book entitled The Content Core related NSTA's conception of appropriate subject
matter for science, and a companion piece, Relevant Research, offered a theoretical and
research-based rationale for curriculum restructure of this nature. These efforts were
supported by NSF and NSTA, but since the conclusion of NSF support the project has
not been able to attract substantive national attention to implementation plans. NSTA
now works with publishers to develop textbooks that the organization hopes will
facilitate curriculum restructure and integration.
NSF Systemic Initiative grants to states, cities, and rural areas have been providing
millions of dollars in matching support for systemic change in science education on
state to local scales. It is too early to determine if the combination of these efforts
nationally will result in strengthened programs that are considerably different from
the traditional curriculum, but they have certainly had an opportunity to involve
more teachers in their implementation than those national projects that to date have
primarily sought demonstration sites.
2
Earth Systems Education
In much of the discussion of what science belongs in the curriculum for all students,
the Earth sciences have been slighted (Mayer, et al., 1992). In response to this, and
with the firm belief that all of science is involved with understanding planet Earth, the
Earth Systems Education (ESE) efforts have emerged as a grassroots mechanism for
internally changing what is taught in science K-12.
Earth Systems Education takes its name from NASA's vision of Earth System Science
(Earth System Science Committee, 1988), an idea that all of Earth's subsystems, the
hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere and biosphere, interact and change over time in
ways that preclude study of one without consideration of the others. This is
particularly true in the ways those subsystems respond to human activities and in
return, impact them. Integration of the sciences, then, is key to understanding all
Earth characteristics and processes. ESE is education's approach to Earth System
Science. All of science is seen as a means of understanding Earth (Mayer, 1991).
Earth Systems Education is guided by a framework of seven Earth Systems
Understandings (page 5) developed by a core advisory group of scientists, teachers,
and science educators. The Understandings incorporate science process, subsystem
interactions, the construct of change over time, and Earth's place as a subsystem of the
Universe. They also incorporate reasons for the study of Earth: aesthetics and values,
careers and interests, and the responsibility for stewardship.
The goal of Earth Systems Education is to infuse Earth systems concepts throughout
the curriculum at all grade levels, K-college. The approach taken by leaders in this
effort has been to rely on teachers, for experience demonstrates that teachers can
implement lasting change by believing in the need and becoming part of the process.
The top-down approaches of major curriculum restructure programs have great
visibility and political power because of the entities sponsoring them, but unless
teachers accept the proposed changes and their role in those changes, the efforts will
fall short of their potential.
ESE, then, has been propelled through teacher enhancement programs both at the
origin (The Ohio State University and the University of Northern California) and in
other parts of the country. Summer workshops, leadership opportunities for teachers,
and networking have begun to result in grassroots changes in participants' schools.
As part of the ESE efforts in central Ohio, the founding home of the program, high
school teachers in Worthington City Schools have implemented complete curriculum
restructure in grades 9-10 as the required two-year course, Biological and Earth
Systems Science. With support from the Eisenhower Mathematics and Science
Education Act, teacher teams in ten other central Ohio school districts have been
introduced to ESE concepts and methods. A report describing BESS is included in the
presentation summaries, and a separate volume on its evaluation through 1994 is
available from the Earth Systems Education Office.
3
0
D igest
IC
Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education
EDO-SE-93-2
March 1993
Earth Systems Education
Victor J. Mayer
Earth Systems Education Framework
National concerns about the quality and at regional and national meetings of the
effectiveness of science teaching have NSTA, a renewed concern emerged for a
The PLESE Planning Committee
resulted in several major efforts directed
more adequate treatment of planet Earth
intentionally arranged the understandings
at restructuring the nation's curriculum.
in the nation's science curriculum.
of the Earth Systems Education Frame-
including Project 2061 of the American
Infusion through Teacher
work into a sequence (Mayer. 1991). The
Association for the Advancement of
Enhancement
first emphasizes the aesthetic values of
Science (AAAS. 1989) and the Scope,
planet Earth as interpreted in art, music.
Sequence. and Coordination project of the
In Spring of 1990, the Teacher En-
and literature. By focusing on students'
National Science Teachers Association
hancement Program of the National
feelings towards the Earth systems, the
(NSTA, 1992). A third effort is the Earth
Science Foundation awarded a grant to
way in which they and others experience
Systems Education program centered at
The Ohio State University for the
and interpret them, students are drawn
The Ohio State University and the
preparation of leadership teams in Earth
into a systematic study of their planet. An
Systems EducationPLESE. the Program
University of Northern Colorado (Mayer.
aesthetic appreciation of the planet leads
editor, 1992). Its philosophy and
for Leadership in Earth Systems Educa-
the student naturally into a concern for the
approach to science content is consistent
tion. The program was designed to infuse
proper stewardship of its resources: the
with the better-known projects but differs
more content regarding the modern
second understanding of the framework
in significant respects, especially in its
understanding of planet Earth into the
(Mayer. 1990). A developing concern for
focus on planet Earth.
nation's K-12 science curricula.
conserving the economic and aesthetic
In preparation for PLESE. a planning
Understanding Planet Earth
resources of our planet leads naturally into
committee composed of ten teachers.
a desire to understand how the various
Over the past two decades there have
curriculum specialists, and geoscientists
subsystems function and how we study
been tremendous advances in the under-
met in Columbus, Ohio in May, 1990. to
those subsystems: the substance of the
standing of planet Earth in part through develop a conceptual framework to guide
next four understandings. In learning how
the use of satellites in data gathering and the program. Preliminary work included
the subsystems function, students must
super computers for data processing. As a
the analysis of the Project 2061 report for
master basic physics, chemistry. and
result, Earth scientists are reinterpreting content related to Earth systems. The
biology concepts. The last understanding
the relationships among the various
committee used this analysis combined
deals with careers and vocations in
science sub-disciplines and their mode of
with the results of the 1988 conference to
science. bringing the focus once again
develop a framework consisting of seven
inquiry. These changes are documented
back to the immediate concerns and
understandings. This Framework for
in the "Bretherton Report." developed by
interests of the student (Former, editor.
Earth Systems Education provided a basis
a committee of scientists representing
1991).
for the PLESE teams to construct resource
various government agencies with Earth
Earth Systems Education and Science
guides and to select teaching materials for
science research mandates (Earth Systems
Curriculum Restructuring
use in infusing Earth systems concepts
Science Committee, 1986). These
into the science curriculum in their areas
advances also prompted the organization
Teachers using the Framework to
(Mayer, :991). The program has worked
of a conference of geoscientists and
develop their resource guides saw its
with over 180 teachers in three member
educators in April. 1988, to consider their
application for the development of
teams including an upper elementary
implications for science curriculum
integrated science curricula, an objective
teacher, a middle school teacher, and a
renewal. The 40 scientists and educators,
of both Project 2061 and NSTA's SS&C
high school teacher during three-week
including many scientists from the
effort. What could be more natural than
long summer programs. These teams
agencies responsible for the Bretherton
developing K-1, science curricula using
have conducted Earth Systems awareness
Report. developed a preliminary frame-
the subject of all science invesugations
workshops in their states. communities.
work of four goals and ten concepts about
planet Earthas the unifying t.h.eme?
and at national NSTA conferences.
planet Earth that they felt every citizen
Any physical. chemical. or biological
During the summer of 1993. selected
should understand (Mayer and Armstrong.
process that citizens must understand to
participants prepared resource guides for
1991). Through subsequent discussions
be scientifically literate can be taught in
use at each of the three grade levels.
with teachers and Earth science educators
ERICICSMEE 1929 Kenny Road - Columbus, OH 43210-1015
4
S
the earth and biological sciences (Mayer,
the context of its Earth subsystem. That is
evolving demands of technology, and in
et al. 1992).
the thought that.has guided a number of
the pressures they place on our environ-
ment require this restructuring. Earth
teachers and curriculum specialists in
Earth Systems Education efforts also
la%e a construcuvist approach to learning
Considering the implications of Earth
Systems Education offers an effective
strategy. As a rust step, it infuses planet
both in workshops conducted by the staff
Systems Education for the nation's
and in the curriculum restructuring efforts.
science curriculum reform efforts (Mayer,
Earth concepts into all levels of the K-12
science curriculum. In the long run, it
Most learning goes on in small collabora-
et al. 1992).
tive groups working on real issues and
The Earth Systems Education effort
provides an organizing theme for a K-12
problems dealing with the Earth System.
also seeks to implement a more holistic
integrated science curriculum that could
Another basic tenant is that curriculum
philosophy of the nature of science into
effectively serve the objectives of
restructuring must be a "grass-roots"
what has been criticized as a reductionist
scientific literacy and at the same time
effort. Teachers are the curriculum
curriculum. Stephen Gould, occupant o:7
provides a basis for the recruitment of
developers. Other individuals, be they
the Agassi Chair of Paleontology at
talent into science and technology careers.
university professors. professional
Harvard University has characterized the
References
nature of science as it is presented in
association staff, state or local level
today's schools in the United States:
administrators. serve a facilitating
American Association for the Advancement of
Science. (1989). Science for all Amer:carts.
function. The curriculum itself must be
Most children first meet science in
Washington. DC: Author.
developed and therefore owned by the
their formal education by learning
Earth System Science Comrninee. (1988). Earth
teachers who teach it (Mayer. et al, 1992).
system science. Washington. DC: National
about a powerful mode of reasoning
Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Earth Systems Education Projects
called "the scientific method."
Fortner, R. W., (Ed). (1991). Earth system
Beyond a few platitudes about
Several projects are underway to test
education [Special issue). Science Activates.
objectivity and willingness to change
28(1).
aspects of Earth Systems Education. The
one's mind, students learn a restricted
Fortner. R. W. (1992). Down to earth biology: A
oldest and furthest along is the implemen-
stereotype about observation,
planetary perspective for biology curriculum.
tation of an integrated Biological and
simplification to tease apart control-
The American Biology Teacher, 54(2), 76-79.
Earth Systems (BESS) science sequence
Fortner. R. W., et al. (1992). Biology and earth
ling variables, crucial experiment.
into the high schools in the Worthington
systems science. The Science Teacher. S9(9).
and prediction with repetition as a
(OH) School District (Former, et al,
32-37.
test. These classic "billiard ball"
Gleick. J. (1987). Chaos: Making a new
1992). It is a required sequence replacing
modes of simple physical systems
science. NY: Penguin Books.
both Earth science at the 9th grade and
grant no uniqueness to time and
Gould. S. J. (1986). Evolution and the triumph
Biology at 10th. The sequence is
object-indeed, they remove any
of homology, or why history miners.
organized around basic Earth systems
American Scientist. 74, 60-69.
special character as a confusing
issues such as resource supply, global
Mayer, V.I. (1988). Earth systems education: A
variable-lest repeatability under
climate change, and deforestation. The
new perspective on planer Earth and the science
common conditions be compromised.
curriculum. Columbus, OH: The Ohio State
program incorporates collaborative
Thus, when students later confront
University.
learning and problem-solving techniques
history, where complex events occur
Mayer, V. J. (1989). Earth appreciation. The
as major instructional strategies. Current
Science Teacher, 56(3).22-25.
but once in detailed glory, they can
technology is also used including on-line
Mayer, V. J. (1990). Teaching from a global
only conclude that such a subject
and CD-ROM databases for accessing
point of view. The Science Teacher. 57(1),
must be less than science. And when
current scientific data for use in course
26.30.
they approach taxonomic diversity.
Mayer, V. J. (1991). Earth-system science: A
laboratory instruction. Ten additional
or phylogentic history, or biogeogra-
planetary perspective. The Science Teacher,
Ohio and New York school systems are
phy-where experiment and
58(1), 31-36.
now studying the BESS program for its
Mayer. V. I. (1991). Framework for Earth
repetition have limited application to
implications for their curriculum restruc-
systems education. Science Activities, 28(1). 8-
systems in total-they can only
turing efforts.
9.
conclude that something beneath
Mayer. V. J. (Ed.). (1992). Eanh systems
Other efforts at elementary, middle, and
science, something merely "descrip-
education: Ortgau and opportunities.
high school levels are now underway in
tive," lies before them (Gould, 1986).
Columbus, OH: The Obio State University.
school districts in New York, Colorado,
Mayer, V. J., & Armstrong, R. E. (1990). What
The commonly held image of science
Ohio. Oregon. and Illinois.
every 17 -year old should know about planet
that is reinforced in our classrooms is that
Earth: The report of a conference of educators
Conclusion
of controlled laboratory experiments
and geoscienusts. Science Education. 74(2)
The time appears to be ripe for the first
conducted by a balding man wearing a
155-165.
Mayer, V. J., et al. (1992). The role of planet
white lab coat. Basic to the Earth
total restructuring of the science curricu-
Earth in the new science cumc alum. Journal
Systems Education approach is to give a
lum since the current high school course
of Geological Education, 40(1), 66-73.
more comprehensiye understanding of the
sequence was established in the late
The National Science Teachers Association.
nature of science and its intellectual
1800s. The dramatic changes that have
(1992). Scope, sequence, and coordination of
processes including the historical
taken place in science, in the understand-
secondary school science: The content core.
Washington, DC: Author.
descriptive approaches commonly used by
ing of how science is learned, in the
.
Center The
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