Earth Systems Science: Developing an Effective Framework for Preparing Preservice K-8 Science Teachers and Strengthening Existing Links between UNO and the Community

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0085392HallHistorically, Louisiana has ranked at or near the bottom in educational support and the educational achievement of its students in comparisons with other states. The New Orleans region, in particular, commonly ranks at the bottom within the State of Louisiana. This result is particularly true for science and mathematics. Fundamental weaknesses in science, mathematics, and technology literacy by teachers get transferred to the students. These students grow into adults lacking critical-thinking skills and knowledge of using technology. Therefore, they are ill prepared to face the challenges of the 21st century workplace. Urban centers, such as New Orleans, can no longer expect to survive with a population of teachers who themselves do not understand the fundamental tenets of science. As a member of the Great Cities Consortium and the major educator of K-12 teachers in the New Orleans environs, the University of New Orleans is striving to improve the pool of teachers to the community and improve links with the community-at-large. At UNO, education is no longer viewed as K-12 then college. Instead, we are looking at education as pre-K-16 and beyond. Competently trained science educators that reflect this new paradigm are critically needed in our school system. This proposal is written to request funds from the National Science Foundation to support the development of an Earth System Science based curriculum for preservice K-8 teachers. The program we propose will: 1) Align the science methods and science content courses taught to preservice teachers, 2) Develop a constructivist-based curriculum in earth-systems science that emphasizes the local environment, and 3) Prepare preservice teachers to use appropriate technology in their classrooms. This curriculum will focus on the regional environment, including the Lake Pontchartrain Basin, Mississippi River drainage area, Mississippi River Delta, and Gulf of Mexico. Furthermore, the students will learn the environmental interconnectivity of these areas as an interdisciplinary science aligned with the national and state science education standards. Importantly, this curriculum will be taught in inquiry-based classes with emphasis on group-cooperative learning and authentic assessment practices. Students will have access to, and be trained in, technology that they will be using when they become teachers, including computers and internet access, graphing calculators, and calculator-based laboratories. Furthermore, we will adapt components of this curriculum and test it in a local middle school. The population of this school is composed almost entirely of persons underrepresented in geoscience. Success of this adaptation will be used as a model for adapting the entire curriculum to the K-8 level. Drs. Hall and Buxton's complementary backgrounds make them ideally suited to develop and implement this curriculum. Hall is a scientist with expertise in science education whereas Buxton is an educator with expertise in science.