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-qualifi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of geoscience education 2003-09, Vol.51 (4), p.424-430
Main Authors: Messina, Paula, Speranza, Paul, Metzger, Ellen P., Stoffer, Phil
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beginning Teachers
College Faculty
Earth Science
Earth Systems Science
Education - Precollege
Education - Teacher education
Education - Undergraduate
Geology
Grade 6
High School Students
Learning Strategies
Preservice Teachers
Process Education
Science Curriculum
Science Education
Science Teachers
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1089-9995
2158-1428
DOI:10.5408/1089-9995-51.4.424