Research to reveal the Earth

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Research to reveal the Earth

• Using research to reveal the Earth a UK
  experience
• Chris King
• Director of the Earth Science Education Unit
• Senior Lecturer, Keele University, Keele, UK
• c.j.h.king_at_keele.ac.uk
• www.earthscienceeducation.com

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Research to reveal the Earth

• How can you change the educational world?
• One answer lies in making a good case to the
  rich and powerful who can help you to make these
  changes.
• And how do you make this good case?
• The answer lies in research.

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Research to reveal the Earth

• Earth science in the
• National Curriculum for Science
• There is a small but significant amount of Earth
  science in the National Science Curriculum - very
  pleasing

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Research to reveal the Earth

• Most teachers teaching Earth science are biology,
  chemistry or physics specialists

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Research to reveal the Earth

• Most teachers (gt80) had received little or no
  Earth science teaching

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Research to reveal the Earth

• Their feelings about their Earth science teaching
  were moderate

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Research to reveal the Earth

• However, the content of practical/field work in
  their lessons was small

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Research to reveal the Earth

• The main sources of information for the teachers
  was pupil textbooks and their science colleagues

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Research to reveal the Earth

• Thus the Earth science taught was often poor,
  uninspired, dull and even wrong - through no
  fault of the teachers, who had never received
  training in Earth science
• The use of resources produced by third parties is
  small.
• Effective INSET involves an integrated approach
  including visits to schools.

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Research to reveal the Earth

• Common alternative conceptions, from Thompson
  (1996) students ideas on the nature of the
  Earth, life, volcanoes, earthquakes, oil and
  soil
• more than 1/3 thought life originated on
  continents
• 40 believed Earth and life began at the same
  time
• many thought that volcanoes and earthquakes occur
  where temperatures are high
• young pupils thought that oil came from water,
  coal, forests, and mud as well as unicellular
  organisms
• pupils understanding of soil was hampered by
  images in everyday language such as soiled
  clothes and feeding soil.

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Research to reveal the Earth

• Understanding of plate tectonics shown by
  teachers of plate tectonics
• Many teachers have major errors in their levels
  of Earth science understanding

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Research to reveal the Earth

• Analysis of 200 staff development programmes
  (Joyce and Showers, 1984) showed that measurable
  effects only occurred with coaching

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Research to reveal the Earth

• A bid to the Oil Industry
• These findings were used as the basis of a bid to
  the oil industry (UKOOA)
• They funded a 2 year pilot project to take
  interactive Earth science workshops to schools in
  three regions in England and form the Earth
  Science Education Unit
• Over the 2 years, some 100 workshops were
  presented to more than 800 teachers and 500
  pre-service teachers
• The evaluation data from these workshops was very
  positive
• Evaluation scores averaged 1.5 on a 1 (high) to 5
  (low) scale

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Research to reveal the Earth

• Meanwhile, ESEU was carrying out research into
  the value and accuracy of of science textbooks UK
  schools
• 51 of the most commonly used textbooks were
  surveyed

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Research to reveal the Earth

• The quality of Earth science coverage in science
  textbooks is low
• Less than 50 of the Earth science is adequately
  covered

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Research to reveal the Earth

• The error level of Earth science in commonly used
  science textbooks is high
• It averages 1 error per page

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Research to reveal the Earth

• Funding for a 5 year national rollout
• The findings from the 2-year pilot were used as
  the basis of a bid for 5 year funding to make the
  programme available nationally
• This was successful
• A full time administrator and a full time
  research and development officer have been
  appointed
• 28 regional workshop facilitators have been
  appointed and trained
• Most of England and all of Wales is now covered
• The rollout will continue into the rest of
  England and Scotland next year with the
  appointment of more facilitators

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Research to reveal the Earth

• ESEU research continues
• The most recent is into the science coverage of
  newspapers - showing the Earth science is as
  commonly covered as physics - and more than
  chemistry.

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Research to reveal the Earth

• Conclusion
• Research was crucial to the underpinning and
  funding of the ESEU initiative
• The initiative has produced a range of
  interactive, practical workshops given to whole
  school science departments to reach the
  reluctant teacher
• Evaluations continue to be very positive
• The national profile of Earth Science education
  has been raised
• Research into the impact of the initiative to
  underpin its future development is continuing -
  particularly with the work of the ESEU researcher

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Research to reveal the Earth

• Research has provided the base for raising the
  profile of Earth science education
• on the national agenda in the UK
• and to reveal the Earth to teachers and
  educators
• at both grass roots and national levels.
• For a copy of this
• PowerPoint, contact

Chris King, Keele University, UK. eseu_at_keele.ac.uk