TEACHING SCIENCE THROUGH EMERGENCY EDUCATION

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TEACHING SCIENCE THROUGH EMERGENCY EDUCATION
Solmaz Mohadjer and Zach Adam
info_at_teacherswithoutborders.org
ABSTRACT Teachers Without Borders (TWB) is
exploring a science education approach that
combines inquiry-based science lesson plans with
emergency education scenarios known as Tabletop
Exercises. The proposed framework is designed to
introduce science concepts in a format that
emphasizes personal or regional relevance,
decision-making, and community survival skill
development. In a recent pilot project, students
and teachers in earthquake-prone cities
surrounding the Himalayas (Dushanbe, Tajikistan
and Dujiangyan, China) received earthquake
education training that incorporates Earth
sciences, emergency preparedness, community
planning, and bookmaking in an integrated
curriculum. Preliminary data describing the
success of the approach in Dushanbe and the
challenges of using assessment methods
commensurate with project objectives are
discussed.

• CONCEPT
• Build relevance for the teachers and students by
  connecting
• Scientific data that supports safe mitigation
  practices and hazards awareness
• Regional hazards conveyed through inquiry
  teaching
• Inquiry formalized through the scientific method

Will my house collapse during an earthquake?
Why do some buildings collapse while others
survive an earthquake?
What is a seismic load?
TABLETOP EXERCISES A Tabletop Exercise simulates
a complex, realistic situation with multiple
possible responses before the students have
obtained all of the knowledge of the lesson
concepts. In this way, students have the
opportunity to train for a situation where they
do not have all of the information necessary to
make an informed decision, as often happens
during an emergency. Tabletop exercises have
three distinct phases the introduction, the
exercise itself, and the post-exercise
discussion. The introduction consists of
providing a basic outline of the scenario,
preparing the appropriate classroom environment,
and informing the students of the primary
objectives of the exercise. During the exercise,
students are asked to respond to and evaluate
courses of action as an emergency scenario
unfolds. The post-exercise discussion is
conducted immediately after the exercise has
ended. Students are encouraged to discuss their
responses to the scenario, and to be responsible
for determining and explaining why any particular
suggestion might be considered safe or unsafe.

• A PILOT PROJECT DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN
• Participants and Implementation
• Forty-three middle school students in grades 8
  and 9 from two public schools (one class for each
  school) in the capital city of Dushanbe,
  Tajikistan, participated in a pilot lesson plan
  implementation in the winter of 2008.
  Participation was voluntary, and all lessons were
  held after regular school hours every day, five
  days a week for two weeks. Both genders were
  equally represented. No school teachers
  participated in the implementation of the lesson
  plans.
• Preliminary Assessment Data
• Pre-assessment consisted of one-on-one interviews
  with all participating students. Interview
  questions were selected to assess students
  pre-existing knowledge and misconceptions. The
  interview data revealed that all students had
  experienced at least one earthquake where over
  half of the reported earthquake experiences took
  place at school, while the remainder were at
  home. The concept of earthquake preparation was
  completely unfamiliar to all students. No student
  could scientifically explain the causes of
  earthquakes.
• Post-assessment consisted of guided focus group
  discussions. Most students were able to
  accurately connect the scientific concepts that
  explain earthquakes. Students discussed how to
  mitigate hazards and shared their suggestions
  with appropriate school authorities.
• Challenges
• Pre- and post-assessment techniques must be made
  compatible to rigorously evaluate lesson plan
  effectiveness. TWB shall focus on teacher
  professional development in Tajikistan to help
  make earthquake education a sustainable effort
  (this approach is currently being tested in
  Sichuan, China). Teachers, administrators, local
  scientists and emergency responders must
  collaborate to ensure effective earthquake
  information reaches the school community.
  Students and teachers must be included when
  planning and implementing hazards mitigation in
  schools.