The Paleontological Research Institution, in conjunction with the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) is offering a new and innovative course in ESS education professional development. Funded by NASA and NSF, ESSEA has a successful history of providing quality, inquiry-based Earth science education professional development for K-12 teachers; this new course will give informal educators access to, as well as the opportunity to participate in, the ESSEA program of professional development.
“Global Climate Change and Informal Earth System Science” is an online graduate course designed to provide professional development for the informal Earth system science education community. The first module, “Global Climate Change”, defines the topic and discusses recent scientific study on global climate change. The second module, “Earth System Science in Your Backyard” provides the tools for creating in-house, inquiry-based Earth science education products focusing on the participants’ local geology and existing collections, exhibits, and /or programming. This one credit unit course will be conducted entirely online (there will be no "face-time", and posting for discussions and assignments due will be asynchronous). Although registration is required through State University of New York at Oneonta, there will be no fee to take the course.
The final project for the course will require the staff member to, at their respective organizations, design or update programming, an exhibit, etc. that reflects course content. We encourage venues to have multiple staff members take the course (maximum of 4).
Employing institutions of graduates from the course will be invited to partner with PRI to offer the ESSEA K-12 teacher professional courses to local teachers, offering free registration for the three unit professional development course. The courses will be taught by staff of PRI, with graduates given the opportunities to act as “visiting scientist” in the course. This will give graduates the opportunity to see the process of course instruction for the ESSEA K-12 programs, enhance the relationship between informal and formal educators, and introduce local formal educators to the ESSEA courses.
The first offering of the class was in Fall of 2007 - the response was huge and very positive. We are currently updating the course content based on evalutations, and will be offering the course again in Fall, 2008. For more information, and registration details, please email Carlyn Buckler: csb36@cornell.edu
For further information on the ESSEA K-12 professional development, see: http://essea.strategies.org
© 2008 Earth System Science Informal Education Network. All Rights Reserved.
