First New York State Earth Science Conference (August 2004)
This Conference developed out of discussion threads on the SUNY Oneonta Earth Science List-Server (http://external.oneonta.edu/mentor/listserv.html) and our Earth2Class (E2C) Workshops for Teachers (www.earth2class.org) here at LDEO. The willingness of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory to share its facilities and of some of its research scientists to share their expertise provided the conditions ripe for creating this meeting.
Many Earth Science educators have contributed to list-server “conversations” on a variety of topics and concerns during the last few years, and hundreds more have been “silent readers.” Among these, in no particular order, are
- Questions and suggestions about optimal strategies to teach specific topics in the Physical Setting: Earth Science Core Curriculum
- Effective classroom and field investigations
- Test preparation strategies and post-Assessment discussions, including sharing of the most “creative” students answers to exam questions
- Relative difficulties and appropriate sequencing of Earth Science, biology, chemistry, and physics programs
- Data sharing of snowfall, earthquake, and other events that can e used to create interesting “local” activities
- Web sites created by local teachers for their own students, but which might be of use to others
- Best ways to obtain rock, mineral, fossil, and other specimens
- Mentoring for less-experienced colleagues from more-experienced colleagues across the state
- Consideration of what should be included in pre-service and in-service professional development
- Strategies to meet the needs of students with special needs
We hope you will enjoy adding to your content knowledge and participating in conversations to address many of the concerns that face us as we seek to help our students learn about this planet. By the end of this year’s program, we hope to reach some consensus over “The Future of Earth Science Education in New York State,” and begin to build on what we accomplish this summer.
Powerpoint: Dr. Klaus Jacob “Earthquakes in the Eastern US – Is New York at Risk, and What Can We Do about it ?”
