Project ESTEEM: Earth Science Teachers Exploring Exemplary Materials

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Dr. Irwin Shapiro of Harvard University Observatory will direct a project which is national in scope to serve the average earth-science teacher. The focus of the program is establishing a repository for existing earth science materials at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CFA). Concurrently, during each of three years in a summer workshop, 40 master earth-science teachers will spend three weeks examining, evaluating existing activity-based earth- science materials and developing new materials to supplement them. They will also attend a series of lectures on science and science education; discuss how to incorporate new information in earth-science in an activity based format; examine, evaluate, and summarize 80 activities on a variety of earth-science topics; produce a teacher activity resource book; and establish a schedule for master teachers to deliver workshops, using these materials, in local districts near their home. The on-site workshops will be delivered during each of three academic years following the participant's summer at the CFA. The first workshop will begin in the summer of 1990. These workshops are based on the Physics Teacher Resource Agent (PTRA) model. A data base, already established for astronomy materials will be expanded to include other earth-science materials; geological, oceanographical and meteorological. This will permit rapid access for teacher agents during the summer workshops and later by modem from their home school. The latter would enable them to customize the on-site earth- science workshop, responding to local needs. The database will include science, technology and society curriculum topics. An Advisory Panel composed of distinguished educators and research scientists will set the direction for the scientific content of materials and use of appropriate pedagogical practices. The project is designed around the PTRA model. It will test its applicability to other audiences and disciplines. It is based on an extensive national survey of earth-science teachers. It responds to teachers content and on-site needs as well as their time constraints. It builds upon a knowledge of the numerous excellent but dispersed existing earth-science curriculum materials and the very successful projects STAR and SPICA directed by the Principal Investigator. This project titled Earth Science Teachers Exploring Exemplary Materials gives it its name, Project ESTEEM. There is cost sharing in an amount of $165,200 which equals 28% of the NSF award.