T39 Advances in In-Service and Pre-Service K–12 Earth Sciences Teacher Preparation and Professional Development

Sunday, 25 September 2016
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Mile High Ballroom 4D

SPREADING THE WORD: A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT OF INDUSTRY, ACADEMIA AND GOVERNMENT TO MAKE K-12 STUDENTS AWARE OF GEOSCIENCE STEM CAREERS

Paper number: T39-8
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 3:15 PM – 3:30 PM

Authors

Abstract

According to a recent survey of its membership taken by the Ohio Aggregate and Industrial Mineral Association over 50% of the workers in this important industry in Ohio are over 55 years old. As this rapidly aging workforce retires, the recruitment of young entry-level employees will be critical to maintain the operations of companies crucial to the economy of the State. However, since high school Earth Science is not a required course for students in Ohio, these geoscience employment opportunities are not on the radar screen of students as they contemplate career choices.

To make teachers aware of career opportunities for their students, teacher professional development programs such as Science Teaching for Ohio’s New Economy (STONE) have been developed to bring geoscience career awareness to teachers from across Ohio. K-12 teachers participating in STONE are asked to share their newfound knowledge of geoscience career opportunities with their colleagues and students alike. The Dayton Ohio Public Schools’ David H. Ponitz Career Technology Center held a full day career fair for students to inform them of careers in the geosciences. Speakers from local industry, the Ohio Geological Survey and academia shared their personal journeys to a geoscience career with students and discussed the types of careers that are available to them. Surveys of students taken after the career fair revealed that most students had no knowledge of geoscience careers available to them prior to the career fair; they were surprised that the skill areas they were developing at school would be valuable career assets to them in geoscience careers; and that upon graduation they would definitely consider a geoscience career.

Follow up sessions with David H. Ponitz Career Technology Center students and local geoscience industry representatives to provide continuing career awareness are planned for this academic year. Career fairs with other Ohio career and technology centers are also planned.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 7

doi: 10.1130/abs/2016AM-276395

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