More than 15 Years of Geoscience Information for Teachers (GIFT) Workshops of the European Geoscience Union General Assembly

Abstract

<p><span>GIFT workshops are a two-and-a-half-day teacher enhancement workshops<br />organized by the EGU Committee on Education and held in conjunction with<br />the EGU annual General Assembly. The program of each workshop focuses on<br />a different general theme each year. Past themes have included, for<br />example, “Major Events that Shaped the Earth”, “Mineral Resources”, “Our<br />changing Planet”, “Natural Hazards”, “Water”, and “Evolution and<br />Biodiversity”. These workshops combine scientific presentations on<br />current research in the Earth and Space Sciences, given by prominent<br />scientists attending EGU General Assemblies, with hands-on,<br />inquiry-based activities that can be used by the teachers in their<br />classrooms to explain related scientific principles or topics.<br />Participating teachers are also invited to present their own classroom<br />activities to their colleagues, even when not directly related to the<br />current program.<br /><br />The main objective of these workshops is to communicate first-hand<br />scientific information to teachers in primary and secondary schools,<br />significantly shortening the time between discovery and textbook. The<br />GIFT workshop provides the teachers with materials that can be directly<br />incorporated into their classroom, as well as those of their colleagues<br />at home institutions. In addition, the full immersion of science<br />teachers in a truly scientific context (EGU General Assemblies) and the<br />direct contact with leading geoscientists stimulates curiosity<br />towards research that the teachers can transmit to their pupils.<br /><br />In addition to their scientific content, the GIFT workshops are of high<br />societal value. The value of bringing teachers from many nations<br />together includes the potential for networking and collaborations, the<br />sharing of experiences and an awareness of science education as it is<br />presented in other countries.<br /><br />Since 2003, the EGU GIFT workshops have brought together more than 800<br />teachers from more than 25 nations. At all previous EGU GIFT workshops<br />teachers mingled with others from outside their own country and<br />informally interacted with the scientists, providing a venue for rich<br />dialogue for all participants. The dialogues often included ideas about<br />learning, presentation of science content and curriculum.<br /><br />Programs and presentations of past GIFT workshops, with some available<br />with Web streaming, are at: <a href="https://ebox.su.se/owa/redir.aspx?REF=wUmuy82JpKRPqgALv1dUsABIdd2VKoCsVErhzDSXsrgzBnvUbITXCAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5lZ3UuZXUvZWR1Y2F0aW9uL2dpZnQvd29ya3Nob3BzLw.." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.egu.eu/education/gift/workshops/</a></span></p>