In-Service Field-Oriented Earth Science Programs for the Precollege Teacher that Make a Difference

Abstract

As our world community places increasingly greater demands on earth resources, we must likewise place increasingly greater emphasis on educating people about the earth, and how earth processes and resources are vital to our continued existence. The obvious place to implement this educational process is at the precollege level. However, the majority of teachers who should be covering earth science at these grade levels do not have the knowledge, expertise, or enthusiasm to adequately address topics in earth science. For these teachers, field-oriented, in-service enhancement programs provide a mechanism by which they can gain up-to-date knowledge, develop hands-on skills, and learn where and how to integrate earth-science topics and concepts into their existing areas of expertise. The Mathematics and Science Education Center at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the Center for Strengthening of Teaching at the University of Puerto Rico, have developed a series of field-oriented, in-service Ear...