Teaching Team: Dr. Donna Witter (Lead Instructor)
Dr. Mandy Munro-Stasiuk
Dr. Joseph Ortiz
Dr. Scott Sheridan
Contact Info for Lead Instructor: Dr. Donna Witter
   Office: McGilvrey 235C
   Phone: 330-672-7002
   Email: dwitter@kent.edu
Course Num: Geol 4/5/60095 or             Geog 4/5/70195
Lecture: Mondays 5:00 - 7:30 pm
Classroom: McGilvrey 305

False-color image of land and marine vegetation as observed by the SeaWiFS satellite during Sept 1997-Aug 2000. Image provided by the SeaWiFS Project, NASA/GSFC and ORBIMAGE.

Rationale and Objectives:  To understand how the Earth "works" as a system, we will study geological, chemical, physical and biological components of the Earth system and how these interact.  We will specifically consider a broad spectrum of issues relevant to life on Earth today, including the water cycle, weather, plate tectonics, geologic hazards, and the impact of ecosystems and biodiversity on climate.  Our focus on scientific content will be complemented by exploration of inquiry as a means of enhancing learning and building scientific understanding.  This approach will provide a unique learning experience for:

   - students interested in combining their existing expertise in Earth Science with work in formal or informal educational settings,
   - pre-service teachers
   - in-service science teachers

Each weekly class session will merge a scientific topic with an inquiry-based pedagogical theme.   Participation in a diverse array of collaborative group activities will be a central element of the course, and will include work with physical models, maps and satellite imagery, “real-world” data, and internet-based resources.  This is the first course in a two-semester series.  Students are welcome to enroll even if they don't anticipate being able to take the second semester of the series during Spring 2006.

Required Texts:  We will use a combination of science content resources and pedagogy resources for this course.  The following texts are required.  Used copies may be available through major booksellers online. 

1) The Earth System, 2nd Edition, by Lee R. Kump, James F. Kasting, and Robert G. Crane, Published by Pearson/Prentice-Hall, 2004.  Softcover ISBN: 0-13-142059-3

2) Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms: A Project-Based Approach, 2nd Edition, by Joseph S. Krajcik, Charlene .M. Czerniak, and Carl .F. Berger, Published by McGraw Hill, 2003.  Softcover ISBN: 0-07-248674-0

Additional Resources: The following are recommended for participants in the course who are considering careers in education:

National Science Education Standards: Observe, Interact, Change, Learn, by the National Research Council, Published by the National Academy Press, 1996.  Softcover ISBN: 0-309-05326-9
 
Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A Guide for Teaching and Learning, by the National Research Council, Published by the National Academy Press, 2000.  Softcover ISBN: 0-309-06476-7

Announcements:
13 July - Are you an in-service teacher interested in this course?  If so, click here for more information about registering!

About the course web site:

This web site is maintained by the course instructor and posted on the University's web server.   Click here to email comments about the web site to the instructor.