Transcript Department of Geosciences - San Francisco State University

Impact of NSES on Curriculum:
“Planetary Climate Change”,
A Geosciences Course …
I. Department of Geosciences, SFSU
II. An Informal Survey
III. What Accounts for the Change?
IV. What Set the Stage?
V. What Obstacles Loomed?
VI. The NOVA Program
VII. A NOVA Course Proposal: “Planetary Climate Change”
VIII. Conclusions
Impact of NSES on Curriculum:
“Planetary Climate Change”,
A Geosciences Course for Preservice
Secondary Science Teachers (and Others)
Dave Dempsey, Karen Grove, Lisa White
Dept. of Geosciences
Kathleen O’Sullivan
Dept. of Secondary Education
San Francisco State University
Department of
Geosciences
San Francisco State University



Geology (8)
Meteorology (3)
Oceanography
(2)
Dept. of Geosciences, SFSU
PROGRAMS
General Education
(large)
 Undergraduate majors (medium to small)
 Graduate (M.S.)
(very small)

TEACHING
Traditional lecture & lab styles, mostly
 Smattering of alternatives
 Occasional co-teaching (esp. graduate)

An Informal Survey
of SFSU colleagues
Question: How do you choose the material
you cover in your introductory classes?
Answer (last year):
Use criteria other than NSES:
Use NSES:
13
0
Answer (today):
Use criteria other than NSES:
Use NSES:
8 to 10
3 to 5
What Accounts for the Change?

Summer 2000 Geosciences Institute (SFUSD)

Fall 2000: “Planetary Climate Change”
– national standards for teaching, assessment,
earth/space science content

Planned courses
– Physical Science (preservice K-8 teachers)
– Earth System Science (lower division GE)
What Set the Stage?



Dissatisfaction with GE student attitude and
achievement (widely shared)
Serious need for more, better K-12 science teachers
New California state standards for preservice
secondary science teachers
– geosciences breadth courses at SFSU inadequate

Alternative pedagogies
– active, students centered
– instructional technologies

Assessment and evaluation
What Obstacles Loomed?



No formal training in pedagogy, assessment
No local models of alternative teaching strategies
Collaboration difficult--institutional barriers
– psychologically tough doing it alone
– interdisciplinary approach requires multiple expertise


Resources limited (especially time)
Instructional technologies technical, timeconsuming
Conclusion: need help
Solution: get grant
NOVA
(NASA Opportunities for Visionary Academics)

Vision: Change higher education to enhance science,

Objectives include:
math, and technology literacy of pre-service teachers
– promote NASA’s model for preservice SMT teacher
education, aligned with:


NASA’s Strategic Enterprises (Earth Science, Space Science, etc.)
national standards and benchmarks
NOVA (cont’d)

Grant proposal requirements for new courses
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
address national standards
employ innovative instruction (active, student-centered)
develop course assessment plan
integrate instructional technology
connect to systemic reform efforts
connect to NASA’s Strategic Enterprises
take an interdisciplinary approach
form collaboration among content & education experts
attend 3-day workshop (brainwashing about above items)
NOVA Course Proposal:
“Planetary Climate Change”

Course Outline
– What is climate?
– How has the climate on Earth (and Mars and Venus)
differed in the past? How do we know?
– How does Earth (Mars, Venus) behave as a dynamic
system?
– How does climate change?
– How can we predict future climate?


NOVA requirements (including NSES) all achievable
Leverage the NOVA experience
– develop new courses, get more grants for more support
Morals of Our Story:
Lessons of Earth/Space Science Standards



Standards alone have little impact
Standards better in context of systemic reform
Standards strongly invite interdisciplinary approach
– collaboration


Must want to change teaching/learning
Need moral & resource support to make big changes
– collaboration


Grant support can encourage use of standards
Get momentum from initial, grant-supported efforts
– collaboration