Professional Development for K-12 Teachers Century College Hamline University

1. Professional Development for K-12 Teachers Century College Hamline University Twin Cities, Minnesota Earth Science Systems for Teachers Earth Science Systems for Teachers

2. Younkyeong Nam and John Oughton Department of Curriculum and Instruction College of Education and Human Development University of Minnesota Making connections between urban students and school science using urban Geology : AN Earth System Education Program for Urban Teachers

3. Background • Earth Science knowledge has become essential for a scientifically literate citizenry • Teachers’ lack of knowledge in Earth Science at both elementary and secondary level (20% of middle school and 72 % of high school ES teachers are certified) (The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), 2003). • The need for improving the teaching of Earth Science at both elementary and secondary level through professional development programs.

4. Metro Minnesota Underfoot: Earth History

5. Making Sense ofGeological Structures

6. Earth Science Systems for Teachers

7. Earth Science Systems for TeachersRock Elm Impact CraterPierce County, Wisconsin

8. The program, “Earth System Science for K-12 Teachers (ESST)” • A summer professional development program for urban science teachers • Earth and environmental science education • Culturally relevant science teaching • Urban geologic and environmental resources • Three sessions at June, July, an August • July session was focusing on urban water resources and water quality

9. Earth System Science Approach • main concepts of earth systems: 1) physical structure of earth systems, 2) matter cycles and movements, 3) interactions between systems, 4) energy source, 5) geologic time and space scale, 6) human impacts • Global warming and urban climatological risk • Observations of species in rivers and parks • Urban geologic and environmental resources • Urban water resources - water quality test using lakes and river water samples. • Urban geology - land form analysis of the urban area, fossil hunting in a regional park in the city • Urban environmental resources (e.g. Rain garden)

10. Earth Systems Science • 1. Earth is whole and integrated as a system • 2. Earth is a system, within a system, within a system, within a system • 3. Matter Cycles • 4. Energy Flows • 5. Life Webs • 6. Think Globally to Understand • 7. Act and Prepare Locally to Protect

11. Teachers’ Knowledge of Urban Geology and Environment • Urban teachers knowledge of urban geologic and environmental resources is important for making their earth science teaching more relevant to their students (Cochran, DeRuiter, and King, 1999) • Urban teachers can easily engage urban students in science and improve their science achievement using local environments familiar to students (Davies, 2006) • Whatever linguistic and cultural background urban students have, the urban sites can be a common ground/place that students share their experience of natural world

12. Study Questions • In what way, is the ESST program contributing urban teachers’ perceptions about earth science teaching using systems approach? • And how the urban teachers’ perception change is reflected in their earth science lesson plans? • In what way, is the ESST program contributing urban teachers’ perceptions about using the practices of science in earth science teaching? • And how is the teachers perceptions change reflected in their earth science lesson plans?

13. Method • A formative evaluation study (Fitzpatrick, Sanders, and Worthen, 2004) • Participants: Selected 11 (6 elementary and 5 secondary science) urban teachers • Data Collection • Pre-Post lesson units (including at least 3 earth science lessons each) • Descriptions about the lessons • Reflections about the program based on the structured questions • Data analysis • Lesson plan analysis using a modified Science Lesson Plan Analysis Instrument (SLPAI) developed by Penn Science Teacher Institute (Penn STI) (Jacobs, Martin, and Otieno, 2008) – Statistical analysis (paired T Test, P<.01) • Qualitative analysis of the teachers’ written artifacts

14. Lesson Plan Analysis Tool

15. The ESST program’s impact on urban teachers’ perception change about Earth Science teaching using systems perspectives • Improvement of interest in learning earth systems through out door field experiences in urban area • Improvement of knowledge of earth systems in urban context • “I’m shocked at how our living styles affect the water systems. One change on the land effects the entire eco-system. The planners for the environment within cities really need to understand now their efforts to build up cities effects the earth and changes the land.” • Perception change of earth science teaching using urban environment • “learned that science is surrounding us even in urban settings. We don’t need fancy science labs or expensive fieldtrips to bring science to students in urban settings . ….I never realize how we can use the environment around us to help teach science”

16. The urban teachers’ earth science lesson using earth system perspectives.

17. Paired T-test in ESS and using urban geology

18. The ESST program’s impact on urban teachers’ perception of using the practices of science in earth science teaching • Before the program, the urban teachers were thinking that they did not have enough experience to implement hands-on activities for earth science. • What I’m not good at is the field experience…. My hope is that through this program. I will be better equipped to go on those walking fieldtrips with my students and be able to tell them more about the samples we find than just saying. “ Oh isn’t that a pretty rock?”. I’ll have better ideas of places of doing science through the study of earth…… (9th) • After the program they feel more confidence of using field investigation or hands on activities using urban geology or environment topics. • “I will do much more water testing now that I have some idea how to do it. Before I took this class most of my instruction and nearly all the labs that I do came out of my teachers’ manual. Teaching about water was never very interesting to me, personally, before taking this course. That alone has made me very glad took this course! I’ll also stress more the conservation of water and natural resources.”

19. The urban teachers’ use of the practices of science in their earth science lesson plans

20. Conclusion • The ESST program affected the urban teachers’ lesson plan design: they began to use more of an earth systems approach in teaching earth science and environmentally founded topics. • In the post lessons, they used more hands-on activities because they thought hands-on activities were more relevant to the urban students who have low background in science. But their use of the practices of science ( addressing nature of science, scientific inquiry, and science process skills ) has not changed significantly. • Throughout the program, the urban teachers showed an interest in learning about earth systems approach using urban geologic and environmental sites. However, there was not significant change in their lesson’s content accuracy in ESS as well as using urban geologic and environmental resource for their earth science teaching

21. We need to help urban teachers in the following areas: • ESS curricula for K-6 students • ES curricula using urban geology and environment. • Programs to improve teachers understandings of urban places and student’ everyday life. • Programs to understand teachers themselves with regard to cultural identities and barriers between them and their students. • Urban teachers’ networks and mentor programs to share information or resources

22. Questions and Comments? Thank you younkyeong@gmail.com