The ongoing educational anomaly of earth science placement
The geosciences have traditionally been viewed with less “academic prestige” than other science curricula. Among the results of this perception are depressed K-16 enrollments, Earth Science assignments to lower-performing students, and relegation of these classes to sometimes under-qualified educators, all of which serve to confirm the widely-held misconceptions. An Earth Systems course developed at San José State University demonstrates the difficulty of a standard high school Earth science curriculum, while recognizing the deficiencies in pre-college Earth science education. Restructuring pre-college science curricula so that Earth Science is placed as a capstone course would greatly improve student understanding of the geosciences, while development of Earth systems courses that infuse real-world and hands-on learning at the college level is critical to bridging the information gap for those with no prior exposure to the Earth sciences. Well-crafted workshops for pre-service and inservice teachers of Earth Science can help to reverse the trends and unfortunate “status” in geoscience education.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2003 |
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Title | The ongoing educational anomaly of earth science placement |
DOI | 10.5408/1089-9995-51.4.424 |
Authors | P. Messina, P. Speranza, E.P. Metzger, P. Stoffer |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Journal of Geoscience Education |
Index ID | 70025152 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |