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Inside:
The
President’s Thoughts
Membership
/ Treasurer’s Report
Musings
from the new newsletter editor
A
teacher-friendly guide to SE geology?
Meeting
News
OEST
Award winners!
AGI
K-12 Earth Science Report
EarthComm
Regional
News
2002 Calendar
April 3-5: SE & N-C GSA Joint Meeting,
Lexington, KY.
April 4: SE
NAGT Sectional breakfast meeting from 6:30 – 8:00 am.
Oct.
13-20: Earth Science week.
Oct.
27-30: GSA meeting, Denver.
WWW . . .
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NAGT
www.nagt.org
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SE-NAGT
www.gpc.peachnet/~pgore/nagt/se-home.html
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Geological
Society of America
www.geosociety.org
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US
Geological Survey
www.usgs.gov
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Earth
Science Week
www.agiweb.org
www.earthscienceworld.org
www.earthsciweek.org
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Summer/Fall 2002 Newsletter
Deadline: August 1,
2002. Please send news, items,
questions, & answers to Stan at dunagans@apsu.edu.
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Southeastern Section
Officers
President: Michael A. Gibson
Department of Geology, Geography, and Physics
215 Joseph E. Johnson EPS Building
The University of Tennessee at Martin
Martin, TN 38238
731.587.7435
mgibson@utm.edu
Past-President: Pamela Gore
Department of Geology
Georgia Perimeter College
555 North Indian Creek Drive
Clarkston, GA 30021
404.299.4099
pgore@gpc.peachnet.edu
Vice-President: David C. Kopaska-Merkel
Geological Survey of Alabama
P.O. Box 869999
Tuscaloosa, AL 35486-6999
205.349.2852
davidkm@gsa.state.al.us
Secretary/Treasurer: Pamela Gore
Department of Geology
Georgia Perimeter College
555 North Indian Creek Drive
Clarkston, GA 30021
404.299.4099
pgore@gpc.peachnet.edu
Liaison to NAGT Executive Council: Steve
Good
Department of Geology and
Astronomy
West Chester University
West Chester, PA 19383
610.436.2203
sgood@wcups.edu
Newsletter Editor: Stan P. Dunagan
Department of Geology and Geography
P.O. Box 4418
Austin Peay State University
Clarksville, TN 37044
931.221.6387
dunagans@apsu.edu
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The President’s thoughts…
Spring
semester is in full swing (again).
Classes, students, research projects, committee work piles up (as
usual). Someone says, “hey, we need your
help” (so what else is new). Then they say, “it’s really important and who
better to ask but you” (of course, who better to ask but you)? (O.K., here is the pitch, you figured one was
coming.) SE NAGT needs your
attention! Yep, it’s us, and like you
said, “Who better to ask” than seasoned vets, like you?
SE NAGT
covers a large geographic area with one of the highest concentration of
teachers (K-16) and student clientele in the country. Population density is second to the
northeast, so potential impact is great.
The southeast is one of the best natural, backyard laboratories for
earth science (geology, oceanography, climatology, and even space science).
President Bush has just announced a $20 billion dollar education package that
will impact education across the board and through the ranks. Earth Science education has been undergoing a
revitalization and emphasis shift over the past decade (more hands-on inquiry,
more systems approach, less teacher-centered), yet earth science (the epitome
of these characteristics) still lags behind in priority in most states. This lag is bad enough for public education
in general (“I built my house on a floodplain, what floodplain?”), but when you
consider that most university students determine their science courses by what
they were exposed to in high school, then the issue is more acute for higher
education (how many times have you heard “if I had know geology was so fun
earlier I would have majored in it”).
Yet at the
same time, there is tremendous opportunity during a time of education reform,
for this is when paradigms are shifted, new initiatives begun, human resources
revitalized, progress made. To do this,
however, YOU must become actively involved more than ever. SE NAGT is a perfect vehicle for your
contribution. If you have not been as
active as you could have for NAGT in your state, we urge you to use the
opportunity. If you perceive your state
is lagging behind (and trust me, there are some states we have not been able to
get a return phone calls from), how about volunteering to pitch in and make it
a true team effort in your area? Two
commitments are needed: involvement and
communication. We suggest planning now
for Earth Science Week in October, check out the education sessions at GSA
(invite a pre-college teacher along), find a public school system to be a
resource for (show them the enthusiasm that attracted you when you began),
become familiar with state and national science standards, donate time. When you do these things (or if you have
already done them as we know many of you have), let SE NAGT know. Let us be your communication outlet to others
or your support line for your needs.
Michael
Membership / Treasurer
Report:
As of January 22, 2002,
there are 185 members. The NAGT SE-Section has on
deposit $3600.31.
Submitted
by Pamela Gore, Secretary/Treasurer SE NAGT.
Musings from the new newsletter editor – Stan P. Dunagan
I was going to start my first little column
by relating my reaction to Michael Gibson’s request for me to take up
the reins of newsletter editor as Marg McKinney stepped down. I was going to talk about my initial fears of
ANOTHER commitment, ANOTHER project, ANOTHER deadline, and LESS time. But then I realized that such musings were
not relevant because obviously I picked up gauntlet and here I am.
Each one of us teach, manage, or participate
in geoscience and/or educational vocations on a daily basis, and we don’t do it
because it’s easy. We are often
underpaid, underfunded, and/or under-appreciated. What’s worse is (if you’re like me) you would
probably do it for free if you could get room and board tossed in. (Editor’s note: Please do not relate this information back to
my Dean or my wife!). So why do we do
it? For the same reason all of us get up
every morning and go to our respective jobs, it is for the students, the citizens
of our states, and the science.
It is with this sense of service that, on
behalf of all SE NAGT members, I want to express our sincerest gratitude to our
former editor Marg McKinney for tirelessly serving as SE NAGT newsletter editor
since 1998. Marg, thank you!
In other news . . . I would eventually like to see the newsletter
evolve to a totally digital (paperless) format.
This format would allow faster delivery of the newsletter to SE NAGT
members via email and save SE NAGT costs associated with printing, addressing,
postage, and snail-mailing. “Going
digital” would allow the newsletter to include images as well as increased
interactivity – like polls. Of course,
the newsletter would be searchable and more easily archived. Of course, everyone would have to have an
email address that supported html-based emails and SE NAGT would need to get a
more permanent website. Obviously, this
is something that needs to be discussed and I plan to bring it up at our
upcoming SE NAGT meeting during the joint SE & N-C GSA regional meeting in
Lexington.
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HELP WANTED:
Teacher’s Guide to Southeastern Geology
The Paleontological
Research Institution is looking for help in developing a Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Geology of the Southeastern
U.S. The Guide will provide teachers with the tools
to incorporate regional and local geology into the classroom. Teaching students about the Earth and
geologic processes can often be difficult without concrete examples from the
real world, and standard textbooks make few references to regional geology
because of their nationwide audience.
Examples of regional and local geology in the classroom not only
energize students, but also facilitate observation-driven, inquiry-based
teaching. The Southeast Guide will be based on the successful Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Geology
of the Northeastern U.S. (available
in print and via the Internet at www.priweb.org ). The Guide
will use non-technical language, a loose-page, three-ring binder format for
easy use in the classroom, provide corresponding student activities for each
topic, and contain a compilation of Earth science resource information listed
by state and topic.
Interested in providing feedback, formative reviews, or
content resources? We welcome the knowledge and experience of other
educators!
Please contact:
Jane Picconi, Educational Publications Manager
Paleontological Research Institution
1259 Trumansburg Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
jea25@cornell.edu
(607)
273-6623 x25
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Meeting News
This year the Southeastern and
North-Central Sections of the Geological Society of America will have a joint
regional meeting in Lexington, KY, April 3-5, 2002. Detailed information is available at: http://www.uky.edu/KGS/gsa2002/ and
http://www.geosociety.org/sectdiv/Northc/02nc-semtg.htm.
The following events may be of
interest to SE NAGT members and others.
Symposia and
Theme Sessions (note that dates and times have not yet been
announced).
Geology
and Public Policy.
(Sponsored by the SE and N-C GSA Committees on Geology and Public
Policy and the SE GSA Education Committee.). Jim Cobb, Kentucky Geological Survey
(KGS); John
Kiefer, KGS. As our
population increases, the importance of geology in public policy decisions
becomes increasingly critical. Planning zoning for housing developments;
siting of industrial parks; shopping centers; landfills, quarries, and mines;
location of water supplies; and power plants all become complex and
contentious issues in which the geology of the site plays, or should be one
of the deciding factors. This session
will give examples of the role geology has played in public policy decisions
and the successes or failures that have resulted.
New
Challenges in Paleontological Education. (Sponsored by the SE
NAGT, the SE Section of the Paleontological Society, and the SE GSA Section
Education Committee.). Michael Gibson, University of
Tennessee-Martin. Michael
Savarese, Florida Gulf Coast University. The
session will serve as a forum for assessing how fossils and paleontology are
used in K-16 curriculum. Most of us teach about fossils and
paleontology in many of our courses and Tennessee educators at all levels are
using innovative approaches. As the recent news over Tennessee's
ranking of 50th in US science education & the US drop to lower than 17th
globally shows, we have a lot at stake here. We are in a position to
offer valuable suggestions about how to improve education in general using
fossils and paleontology as a vehicle. For example, at the university
level, anyone teaching a introductory history of the earth course spends a
great deal of time in this arena. Non-fossil specialists have insight
that is valuable in this area and your input is sought! Regardless of
specialties and grade level, fossils are used. We are hoping to create
a dialogue that allows us to re-evaluate our approaches to using
fossils. Much has changed in the sciences and in science education
(needs and approaches) lately. Is it time for us to change how fossils
are used?
Expanding
Earth Science Inquiry-Based Education, K–16. (Sponsored
by the East-Central and SE NAGT, and the GSA Southeastern Section Education
Committee.) Diann S. Kiesel,
University of Wisconsin-Baraboo-Sauk County.
Speakers will share ideas and programs that expand and support Inquiry-Based
Earth Science Education. Topics will inquiry-based exercises for specific
topics, learning tools employed in lectures and/or labs, contrasts in
teaching strategies between courses and/or student populations, or assessment
methods used to measure student learning. We encourage involvement that
builds support at all levels (K-16).
Technology
for Inquiry-Based Earth Science Education. (Sponsored by the East-Central
and SE NAGT, and the SE GSA Education Committee.) Roderic Brame, Wright State University; David McConnell,
University of Akron. Speakers will
discuss the new challenges to find ways to utilize technology for the purpose
of improving science education. Participants are encouraged to consider how
technology can be used to promote student learning, improve retention, expand
teaching and learning environments, and provide for alternative assessment
and evaluation opportunities. Please come and share your successes with us.
Workshops
Earth
Science Education and the Development of Reasoning. (Sponsored
by East-Central and SE NAGT, and the SE GSA Section Education Committee.)
Sat., April 6, 8:30
a.m.-5 p.m. Roderic Brame, Wright State University (WSU); David
McConnell, University of Akron; William
Slattery, WSU. Hyatt Regency Hotel, Regency Ballroom. Cost: $20
(includes workshop notes). This
teacher workshop is designed to integrate the current science education
standards, inquiry-based constructivist learning, and foundational
understandings of Earth's processes with all levels of earth science (ES)
teachers. We are encouraging all
levels of academic standing (K-16). We will address the efforts to produce an
education system that develops Scientific Reasoning at all levels for all
students. The workshop has four components: (1) What is inquiry-based
education? (2) plate tectonics, (3) rocks, fossils, and minerals, and (4)
geologic history. All components include inquiry based hands-on, minds-on ES
activities and discussions about the philosophy of learning by discovery and
the implementation of this type of education.
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See you in Lexington!
More Meeting News Planning
ahead for the future . . .
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SE Geological Society of America (GSA) meetings
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2003 - Memphis, TN (joint meeting with SC NAGT)
2004 - Washington, DC (joint meeting with NE NAGT)
2005 - Biloxi, MS
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GSA annual meetings
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2002 - Oct. 27-30, Denver
2003 - Nov. 2-5, Seattle
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NSTA meeting
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2002 - March 27-30, national meeting, San Diego, CA
2002 - Oct 24-26, Eastern Section is in Louisville, KY
2005 - Dec. 1-3, NSTA meeting in Nashville
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Outstanding
Earth Science Teacher (OEST) Awards
State
OEST Winners
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Alabama
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- No OEST reported
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Florida
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- No OEST reported
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Georgia
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- Christine Bean (Fernbank Museum of Natural History,
GA)
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Louisiana
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- No OEST reported
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Mississippi
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- No OEST reported
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North Carolina
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- Lynne Gronback (McDougle Middle School, Chapel Hill,
NC)
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South Carolina
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- Susan Yelton (Dent Middle School, Columbia, SC)
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Tennessee
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- Virginia Cooter (North Greene High School,
Greeneville, TN)
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Congratulations to state winners! SE NAGT finds it hard to believe that
states who did not report an OEST winner do not have outstanding earth
science teachers. Do you know of
someone who should be recognized for their efforts? Should you be recognized? The time for OEST identification for 2002
is now, so we encourage you to contact your state representative and make a
nomination. For winners to be
announced in the Journal of Geoscience Education, nomination forms and
supporting information need to be forwarded to the state representative by June
1, 2002. Applications for OEST
can be copied from the Journal, downloaded from the NAGT website, by
contacting any member of NAGT listed on the officers page of this newsletter,
or taken from this newsletter. It’s
easy!
Southeast Regional OEST Award
The 2001 Outstanding Earth Science Teacher award for the
southeastern region went to the winner of the Tennessee OEST award, Mrs.
Virginia Cooter (202 Baileyton Main St. Greeneville, TN 37745).
Virginia Cooter teaches at North Greene High School in Greeneville,
Tennessee where she has been teaching 9th & 11th
grade science and emphasized earth science throughout her teaching. Mrs. Cooter is the current President of the
Tennessee Earth Science Teachers (TEST) and serves on the board of directors
for the Tennessee Science Teachers Association (TSTA). Her strong support of earth science
education has led her to participate in numerous programs designed to
revitalize earth science education, not just in Tennessee, but nationally. Mrs. Cooter was part of one of the field
test teams for the American Geological Institute’s EarthComm curriculum,
which she now uses in her classroom.
Much of her approach to teaching involves finding ways for her
students to participate in science, such as when her class sent sand samples
as part of an experiment on board a NASA shuttle mission. Her expertise has been recognized by the
State of Tennessee, as she has been instrumental in the revision of state
science standards. She devotes much of
her summer time toward enhancing her science content knowledge through
workshop participation, and traveling to create remote experiences for her
students.
Congratulations to Virginia Cooter for her
accomplishments. You have established
an admirable role model for us to follow.
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OUTSTANDING
EARTH SCIENCE TEACHER AWARD
Nomination /
Application Form
Name
_________________________________________________________ Years Teaching
__________
Street
Address ___________________________________________ Telephone
_____________________
City,
State & Zip __________________________________e-mail _______________________________
College/University
attended__________________________ Degree(s)________ Major_______________
Annual
percentage class time devoted to teaching earth science ____________ Grade
level(s) __________
Name of
School ________________________________ Telephone____________ Fax
_______________
School
Address
_________________________________________________________________________
Name and
Address of School District Superintendent ___________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Name and
Address of Local
Newspaper______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
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Respond to the
following, using no more than one typewritten page per item. Include
supporting documentation
in the form of letters, products, or publications as appropriate.
-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1.
Teaching ability: What techniques does the
nominee/applicant employ? What is his/her teaching philosophy? Are his/her
courses challenging and comprehensive? Do students enjoy his/her classes?
2.
Inventiveness: What new ideas, materials,
software, instructional strategies, or techniques has the nominee/applicant
developed?
3.
Initiative: How does the nominee/applicant handle
new situations and accommodate students of various abilities? Be specific.
4.
Cooperativeness: How does the nominee/applicant
cooperate in the total school program and in other academic areas?
5.
Strengths: What are the principal strengths of
the nominee/applicant?
6.
Community involvement: How is the
nominee/applicant involved in community and/or youth activities?
7. Other activities: List other professional activities
and noteworthy accomplishments.
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Name of Nominator
____________________________________________Telephone ___________________
Address __________________________________________
E-mail _________________________________
___________________________ Signature of Nominator
(or Applicant) ______________________________
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - -
Send
all forms, materials, and supporting documentation in one package to:
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Executive
Director
National
Association of Geoscience Teachers
P.O.
Box 5443
Bellingham,
WA 98227-5443
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or
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The OEST Chair of your local
NAGT Section
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Please feel free to
copy this form for nomination purposes.
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AGI Report - National
Perspectives on K-12 Earth Science Education
A brief report on the status of K-12 Earth science
education in our nation's schools is provided by the American Geological
Institute's Education Department. The report summarizes the findings of several
national surveys on K-12 teaching and a telephone survey of state science
curriculum specialists conducted by AGI Education Staff in early November, 2001.
The 50-page online National
Status Report on K-12 Earth Science Education report (one page per state)
provides answers to 18-20 questions about earth science enrollments, standards,
instruction, and assessment. The report, links to data sources, and a reviewer
feedback form that you can use to provide feedback and corrections to AGI are
available at: http://www.agiweb.org/education/statesurveys/survey.html
.
Interestingly, while Earth Science
appears on the radar screen of reformers at the state level, there is a large
gap between vision and practice, particularly at the high school level.
National reform documents like the AAAS Project 2061 - Benchmarks for Science
Literacy and the NRC's - National Science Education Standards, have been in
circulation for 5-7 years and call for the inclusion of Earth Science
understanding for K-12. In the last seven years, 49 states have produced K-12
science content standards, all 49 of which include Earth Science content within
the standards for grades 9-12.
However...
·
only
four of fifty states reported 50% or more of 9th grade students
enrolled in an Earth science course in 1997-98;
·
only
two states require an Earth science course for high school graduation;
·
colleges
and universities in some states do not accept high school Earth science as
meeting the laboratory science requirement for college entrance; and
·
only
7 to 13 % of all high school graduates nationwide take an Earth science course
during their 4 years of high school.
NEW EDUCATIONAL PUBLICATIONS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF
ALABAMA
Alabama Gold, Circular 104, originally published
in 1980, has been one of the Survey’s most popular publications. The report
contains information on how and where gold occurs in the state, a brief history
of gold mining, and a summary of notable gold mining districts in Alabama for
the general reader in clear, non-technical language. Cost:
$5.75 + S/H.
Fossil Creatures of Alabama (Educational Series 12) is an
educational poster showing photographs of 29 common and interesting fossils
found in Alabama. The brief text
describes what fossils are, how they are formed, their importance, and legal
issues concerning their collection. Also
included is a brief section on Alabama’s geologic history. Educational Series 12 is written in
non-technical language and is recommended as an educational aid to promote
interest in science and natural history among students and interested
laypersons of all educational backgrounds.
Cost: $1.00 + S/H.
Water Down Under is an 86-page fully illustrated
booklet about ground water. Cost: $2 + S/H.
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Copies of these publications may
be obtained from:
http://www.gsa.state.al.us/ or
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Publication Sales Office
Geological Survey of Alabama
P.O. Box 869999
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35486-6999
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EARTH SCIENCE
“PLUG-INS” FOR SCIENCE REFORM:
EarthComm and Investigating Earth Systems
As most everyone who reads this is aware,
science education reform (National Science Education Standards [NSES], etc.)
has placed Earth Science on equal standing with chemistry, physics, and the
life sciences. Therefore, there is no
better time than now to work toward the restoration of Earth Science from its
present second rate status in most states and in some states - no status, to
its rightful station. As geoscience
educators we must work to make the present the key to the future.
A major NSES goal is for students to have an understanding
of Earth, including the solar system, as a set of closely coupled systems. When systems science is applied to the Earth
it provides a framework in which students can investigate in their everyday
environment the four major interacting components of the Earth System - geosphere,
hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.
The American Geological Institute (AGI) through NSF funding
have developed two new Earth Science curricula.
These curricula, Investigation
Earth Systems (Grades 6-8) and Earth
System Science in the Community (Grades 9-12), not only utilize the systems
approach, but were guided in design by the NSES and the AAAS Project 2061. Authenticity of the curricula is assured
because development was guided by hundreds of classroom teachers who piloted
and field tested the materials, but just as important, the curricula are backed
by over 500,000 geoscientists who represent more than 35 professional
geoscience organizations - that says a lot.
The fact is, these materials were not authored by one or a few authors,
but most importantly, by teachers for teachers.
To learn more about these curricula it is suggested that you visit: http://www.agiweb.org/education/index.html
It is true that these are not the only viable curricula for
resurrecting Earth Science, but they may be the strongest presently available
for serious consideration as vehicles to promote Earth Science education in the
middle and high schools of America.
Significant attributes of both curricula are:
• They are modular, allowing for adoption of all or parts,
especially useful for systems teaching integrated science.
• They are inquiry-based utilizing hands-on and minds-on
approaches designed for cooperative and active-learning.
• Teacher’s editions for each of the modules are the most
complete of any such documents this writer has ever seen - pedagogy,
assessment, strategies, etc. - a real trove of resources. A virtual tool box to assist any teacher
making the changes advocated by the NSES.
• They are community oriented - science and scientists in
the “real world” are integral to the modules as activities and investigations
are centered around the students’ community.
• Every activity and/or investigation is made in the context
of the Earth systems connections.
The vehicles are ready.
The motors are running. What is
needed now are drivers and passengers.
Drivers to keep the pedal to the metal and steer, and passengers who
will profit from the ride and encourage others to make the trip. You can be a driver. If you aren’t already familiar with these
curricula, do so. Visit the AGI
Website. AGI and the publisher, Its
About Time offer an Institute during the summer (sort of Drivers Training) that
equips willing drivers to go on the road to gather passengers. If you need further information about these
curricula and/or professional development opportunities related to them, you
can contact me (dbyerly@utk.edu) or at AGI - Matt Smith (mcs@agiweb.org)
or Michael Smith (msmith@agiweb.org).
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** IMPORTANT
NOTE TO STATE SE NAGT REPRESENTATIVES **
All state reps are asked to attend
or send an alternate to the SE NAGT Sectional representatives and officers
breakfast meeting will be held on Thursday, April 4, from 6:30 am to 8
am. The place has not been finalized
as of yet. Information will follow by
e-mail.
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Tennessee (reported by
Stan Dunagan and Michael
Gibson)
·
The 2002 Tennessee Academy of Science Western
Collegiate Meeting will be hosted by LeMoyne-Owen College, in Memphis on March
23, 2002. This meeting is intended as a
forum for undergraduate student research.
Undergraduate researchers in all areas of science, mathematics, and
computer science are encouraged to present their work in various sessions
during the meeting. There will be a $10
registration fee for all attending the meeting.
Lunch will be provided to all registrants. If you need any additional information,
please contact:
|
Delphia F. Harris
LeMoyne-Owen College
807 Walker Ave.
Memphis, TN 38126
|
E-mail address: df_harris@loc.edu
Phone number: 901-947-7415
FAX number: 901-942-6245
|
·
Dr.
Albert Ogden at Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro) has produced a
15 minute video on groundwater and karst in Tennessee for college and high
school. The video was sponsored by
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation(TDEC).
Inquiries should be made to Tom Moss, Manager of Groundwater section at
TDEC (tmoss@mail.state.tn.us).
·
The Tennessee Earth Science Teachers (TEST) held
its annual meeting in conjunction with the Memphis NSTA meeting (see
below). At the meeting TEST discussed
workshop plans for the 2002 TSTA meeting in Nashville, made plans to submit
their Smoky Mountain Rock Box workshop to the NSTA national meeting in
Philadelphia, PA, and discussed teacher development needs. TEST officers meet in Nashville Jan. 26 at
the home of Tina King for their annual meeting.
Topics of discussion included the state science standards, identifying
session topics for the December 2002 TSTA meeting, grant outlines for teacher
development, and identification of recipients of teaching awards.
·
The southeastern regional meeting for National
Science Teachers Association (NSTA) was held on December 6-8, 2002, in Memphis,
with several thousand teachers in attendance.
Over 36 sessions were devoted directly to earth science topics (more
sessions than chemistry!). Among the
programs, Dr. Don Byerly and Farragut High School teacher Jane Skinner,
representing TEST, ran a filled half-day short course entitled “Great Smoky Mountains: A Geologic
Laboratory Rock Box”. As part of the short course teachers were
given activities and samples prepared by TEST members.
·
TEST’s annual Awards Breakfast featured several wards
to earth science teachers. The state and
regional OEST awards for 2001 were presented to Virginia Cooter. Dr. Michael
Gibson (UT Martin) received the TEST's Ptero Award for
contributions to supporting earth science education in Tennessee. The award was established in 1998 and is
named after the Official State Fossil of Tennessee, Pterotrigonia thoracica
from the Cretaceous Coon Creek Formation.
Alabama (reported
by David C. Kopaska-Merkel)
·
Once
again this year Earth Science Week was celebrated around Alabama. We are aware of five activities in which the
Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA) participated, and if past years are any
guide schools around the state probably held celebrations that we don't know
about. GSA activities included:
Ø In October 2001, the Survey
co-hosted (with the University of West Alabama) a one-day field workshop in
paleontology for K-12 science teachers.
It was well attended and very popular, and the GSA and UWA are hoping to
be able to repeat the workshop in 2002.
Ø The Survey also has released a 2002
wall calendar which features a remote-sensing image of the state. Release of the calendar was timed to coincide
with the 2001 Earth Science Week.
Ø The Alabama Science Teachers
Association annual meeting held in Mobile, shortly before Earth Science Week
(October), was successful with ~250 teachers attending. GSA hosted an exhibit and a workshop at this
meeting, and distributed free earth-science educational materials.
Ø The Survey's educational outreach
program is donating science-education materials to public-school libraries in
the state. These donations will be made in November.
Ø GSA provided financial support and
advice for an Earth Science Week display in Moody High School, Moody, Alabama.
Ø The Governor of Alabama signed an
Earth Science Week proclamation on October 5, 2001.
·
Alabama
has not participated in the OEST program in recent years (if it ever did). We
have instituted a new attempt to get OEST nominations and also to develop a
state-level award as a means of encouraging nominations. If all goes well, even though we are not
likely to have a nominee this year, we may be able to participate in 2002.
·
In
science education news, Alabama is choosing textbooks for public-school
classrooms for the next few years. The
textbook committee, which includes a variety of scientists and educators, has
chosen an excellent set of textbooks.
Last year we successfully revised our state science standards, removing
some objectionable pseudoscientific language and replacing it with more
appropriate material. We did not succeed
in removing the infamous disclaimer from biology textbooks, but a grass-roots
movement is asking the State Board of Education to remove it.
·
Earth-science
educational outreach programs in Alabama commonly face a lack of response from
the public. Hands-on workshops are successful, but other kinds of assistance do
not often seem to be what the customer needs. One outstanding exception is a
new Library Grant Program of the GSA.
Awards of up to $250 for earth-science materials are offered to public-school
libraries, and dozens of applications have been received. Unfortunately, the small amount of money
available will only permit a few grants to be awarded, but this is clearly an
area of need.
·
On
the academic side of geology, Alabama universities are again waiting with
trepidation for budgetary decisions from the State Government. Proration has resulted in significant cuts to
university funding and last year, induced an unfortunate battle between K-12
and university proponents for what few dollars were available. The funding issue promises to reappear this
year, but its impact will not be known for a while.
·
The
Alabama Geological Society (AGS) has initiated its first regional section
outside of its traditional Tuscaloosa-Birmingham-Montgomery core. The new South-western Alabama Geological
Society Section covers Mobile and the surrounding counties and is a partnership
between the AGS, the University of South Alabama (Department of Earth Sciences)
and the university’s student Earth Science Club. One of the planned activities of the Earth
Sciences Club and the Department of Earth Sciences is to provide rock and
mineral teaching kits to area schools.
The first kits will be distributed next spring in conjunction with the
new "Rock and Roll Road Show", a series of demonstrations and lectures
designed to enhance geological teaching in local schools.
Your SE NAGT State Representatives
Alabama
Douglas
W. Haywick
University of South Alabama
LSCB 136
Mobile, AL 36688-0002
dhaywick@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
334.460.6381
David
Kopaska-Merkel
Geological Survey of Alabama
P.O. Box 869999
Tuscaloosa, AL 35486-6999
davidkm@gsa.state.al.us
205.349.2852
|
Mississippi
Gail S. Russell
Department of Geology, Box 5045
University of Southern
Mississippi
Hattisburg, MS 39406
Gail.Russell@usm.edu
601.266.4077
North Carolina
Mary Watson
NC Geological Survey
Division of Land Resources,
1612MSC
Raleigh, NC 27699-1612
Mary.Watson@ncmail.net
919.733.2423
|
Florida
Jonathan
R. Bryan
Earth Sciences
Okaloosa-Walton Jr. College
100 College Blvd.
Niceville, FL 32578
bryanj@owcc.net
850.729.5246
|
South Carolina
John
Wagner
Department of Geological
Sciences
P.O. Box 340976
Clemson University
Clemson, SC 29634-0976
jrwgnr@clemson.edu
864.656.5024
|
Georgia
Pamela Gore
Department
of Geology
Georgia
Perimeter College
555
North Indian Creek Drive
Clarkston, GA 30021
pgore@gpc.peachnet.edu
404.299.4099
Nancy Huebner
Fernbank Science Center
156 Heaton Park Drive
Atlanta, GA 30307
n.huebner@fernbank.edu 404.370.8080
|
Tennessee
Stan P.
Dunagan
Department
of Geology and Geography
P.O.
Box 4418
Austin
Peay State University
Clarksville, TN 37044
dunagans@apsu.edu
931.221.6387
Michael
A. Gibson
Dept.
of Geology, Geography, and Physics
215
Joseph E. Johnson EPS Bldg.
The
University of Tennessee at Martin
Martin,
TN 38238
mgibson@utm.edu
731.587.7435
|
Louisiana
Andrea
Walker
801 Pontalba Street
New Orleans, LA 70124
504.488.5268
andrealwalker@hotmail.com
|
|
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