T17 Improving Student Learning Outcomes Using Cognitive Science-Informed Strategies in Geoscience Teaching and Practice

Sunday, 9 October 2022
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
502

ATMOSPHERE, GROUNDWATER, OCEAN: INVESTIGATING SPATIAL THINKING ACROSS FLUID-EARTH SCIENCE DISCIPLINES

Paper number: T17-9
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 10:00 AM – 10:20 AM

Authors

Abstract

Collaborations between geoscientists, education researchers, and cognitive scientists have fruitfully identified spatial thinking skills that are relevant to success in solid-Earth science disciplines. Efforts in fluid-Earth science disciplines such as atmospheric science, hydrogeology, and oceanography are not yet as robust. With colleagues, I am working to increase our knowledge of the spatial thinking skills relevant to learning in fluid-Earth science disciplines that deal with dynamic fluids that are largely invisible and inaccessible to immediate observation. Atmospheric and oceanic processes are fundamentally convective across large geographic areas and through multiple layers, making visualization of these processes spatially difficult and cognitively demanding. The dynamic nature of fluids requires continual reinterpretation of complex data displays, creating an added layer of spatial challenge. Fluid-Earth disciplines are also heavily mathematical, without a natural bridge between abstract ideas and concrete fluid behavior. Improving spatial thinking skills in students may facilitate this cognitive leap. This presentation will share past, present, and future work, involving explicit measurement of spatial thinking skills and quantitative analysis, qualitative student case studies, and the use of physical models to understand student spatial reasoning in fluid-Earth science disciplines.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 54, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2022AM-380041

© Copyright 2022 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.