Geological Society of America

T58 Beginning a New Era in Earth Science Education: The Role of Geoscience in Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards

Sunday, 1 November 2015
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Room 321

RIGOROUS INSTRUCTION IN THE EARTH SCIENCE CLASSROOM IN THE WAKE OF THE NGSS: IMPLEMENTING THE DIG TEXAS BLUEPRINTS

Paper number: T58-13
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 4:30 PM – 4:45 PM

Authors

Belinda E. Jacobs Presenting Author
Cedar Ridge High School, Round Rock, TX
Kathy Ellins
The University of Texas at AustinJackson School of Geosciences, Austin, TX
Trey Pearce
Richardson High School, Richardson, TX
Eric M. Riggs
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Laura F. Serpa
University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
Eric Stocks
The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX

Abstract

The inauguration of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for Earth science instruction in the K-12 classroom has ignited a demand for accessible, high quality curricula that provides educators with resources that are congruent with these standards and deliver rigorous, authentic learning experiences for their students. The NSF-supported Diversity and Innovation in Geosciences (DIG) Texas Blueprints project offers freely available, educator-evaluated learning resources bundled into three-week teaching units that can then be organized into a scope and sequence, or blueprint, for a one-year Earth and Space science course. The flexibility and freedom to customize these blueprints by the individual instructor ensures that the disciplinary core ideas, cross-cutting concepts, and engineering practices of the NGSS can be addressed in their implementation.

Prior to the release of live units and sample blueprints on the DIG Texas Blueprints website, two high school teachers and one undergraduate professor to future secondary educators were charged with implementing these resources in the classroom during the 2014-2015 school year. Each educator selected a blueprint of 8-9 units to execute in their classroom. Regular communication and weekly feedback with the project evaluator and team provided support during the implementation process, and initial reviews of the feasibility and effectiveness of each learning experience were collected and retained for later refinement of the blueprints. Summative evaluations of the blueprints were submitted at year’s end to assist in providing notes to support educators who use the blueprints in the future.

This presentation will provide a brief history of the project, a review of the implementation and educator feedback, and an initial overview of how to access and utilize the DIG Texas Blueprints website. An update of the next steps in the DIG Texas Blueprints project will also be offered.