Bridget Mulvey, Todd Swan and Mila Rosa Librea - Science Education Council of Ohio annual conference (2015) Ohio Board of Regents Improving ...

Bridget Mulvey, Todd Swan and Mila Rosa Librea

Science Education Council of Ohio annual conference (2015)
Ohio Board of Regents Improving Teacher Quality Program grant:
Earth Systems Science
Kent State University, Mulvey & Curtis (Mills)

Earth Systems Science

   FREE professional development opportunity
   Funded by Ohio Board of Regents
   Grades 7, 8, 11, 12 Ohio Standards
   5 graduate credits from Kent State University
   More than $600 in free materials
     (GPS units, rocks, minerals, etc.)
   Find out more: Pick up a brochure!

Earth Systems Science

   Includes plate tectonics
   Emphasis on inquiry
   Technology use to support students doing
    more authentic and minds-on science
     Google Earth
     Hand-held GPS units

   A virtual globe

   Google Earth uses satellite and aerial images
    combined with maps and Google’s
    exceptional search capabilities to “put the
    world's geographic information at your
    fingertips.”(Brett Christensen, Nibbles & Bytes)

   “Map of the Earth on steroids”                     (Karch, about.com)

   Commonly used as a visualization tool
     Students find their house, apartment, school
     Teacher shows location or example of what is
     being studied

Science Education Program, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia

   Commonly used as a visualization tool
     But it can be so much more!
   Make observations at different scales
   Compare areas, features
   Select layers with additional information
   Timeline tool: change over time

   Active learning that emphasizes:
     questioning
     data analysis
     critical thinking

   Overall:
    Students answer research question through
    data analysis
                                 (Bell, Smetana, & Binns, 2005)

Inquiry Levels
   How much information is given to the
    student?
     Level of   Question?   Methods?        Solution?
     Inquiry
        1                                      
        2                    
        3          
        4

                                       (Bell, Smetana, & Binns, 2005)

Technology use

   Tech person commonly needs to install
    Google Earth on school computers
   Try it out on computers students will be using
   Find out how many computers can be on
    Internet at any one time
   Be flexible
   Have a backup plan

   Commonly level 2 inquiry
   Why are tours likely to be level 2 inquiries?

   Benefits
     Direct students to important places
     More time efficient
     Focused on relevant content

   Start with level 2 inquiry tour
   Whole class use of Google Earth first
   Model and explicitly state how to navigate,
    use relevant tools
   Students can
     choose where to start
     take turns navigating
   Provide a one-page Google Earth tools guide
    before students work in pairs or individually

By Bridget Mulvey

How instruction has changed

Overview of how Todd used GE
   Intro to Google Earth lesson
   Tour on plate tectonics BEFORE lecture
     Model how use tour
   Tour debrief
     Groups worked together to draw conclusions
     GROUPS created the summary of characteristics
     Clarification by other students, teachers
     Look at images to support conclusion

Student Data Collection Table

        Science Education Program, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia

Data to Collect

   Plate tectonic location (boundary type)
   Name of Selected Site
   General Topography
   Volcanoes Common? (describe)
   Earthquakes Common? (describe)
   Generalizations: boundary characteristics
   Discrepancies in the data, any questions that
    emerge

Guided Google Earth Tour

Sites

   Orange pin: main site
   Yellow pins: close-ups

   Encourage students to visit both overview
    and close-ups to collect data

   **At least 1-2 stops should be done as a
    whole class  students learn how to use the
    tools, make observations

   Whole class use of Google Earth first
   Model and explicitly state how to navigate,
    use relevant tools
   Students can
     choose where to start
     take turns navigating
   Provide a one-page Google Earth tools guide
    before students work in pairs or individually

Ways to collect data

   Topography
     Drag cursor over the region to see changes in
     elevation on land or below water
     (recorded along very bottom of screen)
     Check out place names
   Volcanoes
     Look for red triangles, click for more info
     Within info box, can click to visit Smithsonian site

Tour Stops

   Student choice:
     order
     options for locations to visit
   Stops not labeled by location name
      students use map or globe to identify (increase
      geographic awareness)

Stop 1

Data

   Plate tectonic location (boundary type):
     Ocean-continent convergent: subduction zone

   Name of Selected Site: Cascadia Subduction Zone
   General Topography: Mountains, trench in ocean
   Volcanoes Common? (describe)
     Yes. See close-ups for details

   Earthquakes Common? (describe) Some, shallow
     Draw attention to this at some point

Science Education Program, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia

Ways to collect data

   Earthquakes
     Look for colored dots
     Color indicates depth
     Size indicates magnitude
     Limitation: recent activity indicated
      ▪ Can turn on historical earthquakes layer

Elevation profile

Data

   Plate tectonic location (boundary type):
     Ocean-continent convergent: subduction zone

   Name of Selected Site: Cascadia Subduction Zone
   General Topography: Mountains, trench in ocean
   Volcanoes Common? (describe) Yes. Stratovolcanoes
   Earthquakes Common? (describe) Some, shallow
     Draw attention to this at some point

Stop 2, 3

   Students visit at least two (three is better)
    locations for each boundary type

    identify trends

Generalizations

   Convergent Boundary: Ocean-Continent
    Subduction zone

   Evidence?

   What was unexpected?
   What might you want to investigate further?
    What questions arose for you?

Tour as springboard to student-
developed inquiry (level 4)

   Consider what seems strange, doesn’t
    completely make sense, or is intriguing.

   Questions to investigation further?

Students’ questions

   Does volcano type change with increasing
    distance from subduction zone boundary?
   What might cause volcanoes to exist only on
    one side of a subduction zone boundary?
   What makes earthquake depth different at
    different boundaries?
   What happens when a volcano (with a glacier
    on it) erupts

Supporting students

   Cooperative learning roles
   PI meeting to check on in all group’s progress,
    answer questions for all groups at once
      decreases group downtime waiting for help

Assessments

   Formative assessment: check completed data
    collection/analysis tables
   Group presentations
   Graphic representation and summary of
    characteristics associated with plate
    boundary types

   Increase students’ critical thinking about
    data collection & analysis

   Inquiry is more than following steps
    developed by another

Next lesson:
Students more interested
   Relationship between magma % silica,
    viscosity and volcano explosiveness
   Higher % silica
   Increase length, number of Si-O chains
   Higher viscosity
   More gases retained in magma
   More explosive volcanic eruptions
   More about volcano types

   Recent or historically important natural
    disasters?
      Volcanic eruption, Japan
      Volcanic eruption, Iceland
      Earthquake, Japan
      Earthquake, Virginia, USA

Earthquakes

  Haiti 

Jacmel, Haiti

Observations?

Potential impact
on organisms?

Port-au-Prince

 Effects on the
 Population of
 Haiti’s Capitol?

Shake Intensity Overlay

  Make Predictions,
  Then Explore!

Presidential Palace, Port-au-Prince

                             After earthquake

Before earthquake:
Historical imagery feature

Analysis Questions

   How do volcanic eruptions and earthquakes
    change Earth’s surface similarly? differently?
   How do these changes in Earth’s surface
    affect humans? How do humans affect the
    ways and extent to which these impact
    Earth’s surface?
   What can humans do to mitigate the negative
    impacts on Earth’s surface and organisms,
    including humans?

Haiti Earthquake: Just one example

    How do other natural disasters affect Earth’s
     surface?

Earth Systems Science: A professional development funded by the Ohio Board of Regents’ Improving Teacher Quality Program

    Valuable tool across the science curriculum
      Environmental Science, Earth Science, Biology,
          Life Science
    Teacher- or student-centered
    Don’t need to be an expert!
      Start with our lessons or find lessons and/or tours
       available online
      With practice, you can modify other’s lessons or
       make your own!
Earth Systems Science: A professional development funded by the Ohio Board of Regents’ Improving Teacher Quality Program

    See: Mulvey & Bell (2012)
    Google Earth lessons
      Teacher guides
      Student worksheets
    Google Earth tours
      Teacher guides
      Student worksheets
    Additional Google Earth resource
     descriptions/evaluations
Earth Systems Science: A professional development funded by the Ohio Board of Regents’ Improving Teacher Quality Program

Earth Systems Science

    “The content of this course turns out to be very
     timely. I feel much better going into this year with
     solid educational philosophy and support that
     could lead to more meaningful science
     instruction… Your ideas, support, and passion for
     meaningful science instruction will be felt throughout
     northeastern Ohio. Thanks for your dedication to ALL
     of our kids.”                    -Teacher written reflection

    “I felt very valued as a student in the classroom. The
     instruction was tailored to our needs and our time
     was used as wisely as possible.” -Teacher written reflection

Earth Systems Science: A professional development funded by the Ohio Board of Regents’ Improving Teacher Quality Program

Earth Systems Science
    Apply soon! 5 grad credits FREE!
    When:
      Summer: June 22-25, June 29-July 2                                             (8:30-4:30)
      School Year: Aug. 22, Sept. 19, Oct. 24, Feb. 27, Apr. 9;
       Makeup day: Mar. 5 (8:30-5)
    Where: Kent State University, Kent campus
    Focused on Gr. 7, 8, HS physical geology,
     environmental science standards
    For classroom, inclusion and resource
     teachers; administrators
Earth Systems Science: A professional development funded by the Ohio Board of Regents’ Improving Teacher Quality Program

Earth Systems Science at Kent State University.
Funded by a grant from the Ohio Board of Regents’ Improving Teacher
Quality Program.
Mulvey & Curtis (Mills)