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

历史上，与其他州相比，路易斯安那州在教育支持和学生的教育成就方面一直排名垫底或接近垫底。尤其是新奥尔良地区，通常在路易斯安那州排名垫底。这一结果对科学和数学来说尤其正确。教师在科学、数学和技术素养方面的根本性弱点会转移到学生身上。这些学生长大后缺乏批判性思维技能和使用技术的知识。因此，他们对面对21世纪工作场所的挑战准备不足。像新奥尔良这样的城市中心，再也不能指望与一群本身不理解科学基本原理的教师共存了。作为大城市联盟的成员和新奥尔良郊区K-12教师的主要教育者，新奥尔良大学正在努力改善社区的教师队伍，并改善与广大社区的联系。在联合国大学，教育不再被视为从K-12到大学。相反，我们把教育视为16岁以前的教育，甚至更高的教育。我们的学校系统迫切需要训练有素的科学教育者来反映这一新的范式。这项建议是为了向国家科学基金会申请资金，以支持为K-8职前教师开发以地球系统科学为基础的课程。我们提出的计划将：1)统一教授给职前教师的科学方法和科学内容课程，2)开发以建构主义为基础的地球系统科学课程，强调当地环境，3)使职前教师在课堂上使用适当的技术。本课程将侧重于区域环境，包括庞恰特雷恩湖盆地、密西西比河流域、密西西比河三角洲和墨西哥湾。此外，学生将学习这些领域的环境相互联系，作为一门符合国家和州科学教育标准的跨学科科学。重要的是，这门课程将在探究式课堂上教授，重点是小组合作学习和真实的评估实践。学生将有机会接触到他们成为教师后将使用的技术，并接受技术培训，包括计算机和互联网接入、绘图计算器和基于计算器的实验室。此外，我们将调整本课程的部分内容，并在当地一所中学进行测试。这一学派的人口几乎全部由地球科学界代表性不足的人组成。这一调整的成功将被用作调整整个课程以适应K-8级的典范。霍尔博士和巴克斯顿博士的互补背景使他们非常适合开发和实施本课程。霍尔是一位在科学教育方面有专长的科学家，而巴克斯顿是一位在科学方面有专长的教育家。

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.