As a number of people on this list are involved in informal science
education, I am writing to ask you to consider submitting an abstract for
the topical session "Innovation, evaluation, and best practices in
informal geoscience education" at the national Geological Society of
America meeting October 16th to 19th in Salt Lake City.
Go to
http://www.geosociety.org/meetings/2005/techProg.htm
to submit an abstract and go to
http://www.geosociety.org/meetings/2005/reg.htm to register for the meeting.
Abstract deadlines are July 12th.
If you have any questions about the session, please feel free to contact me at rmr16@cornell.edu or 607 273 6623 x18.
Sincerely,
Rob Ross
===============================================
Topical session T97.
Title: Innovation, evaluation, and best practices in informal geoscience education
Sponsored by: National Association of Geoscience Teachers; GSA Geoscience Education Division; Association of Earth Science Editors
Conveners: Robert M. Ross, Warren D. Allmon
This symposium will feature models of best practices in informal geoscience education, including for example innovative approaches, techniques for evaluation, and creation of partnerships with formal education. In convening and promoting this session, we hope to raise awareness of the extraordinary significance of informal geoscience education, of the opportunities that exist, and of the need to raise standards in the field.
Informal education - from museums to television to outreach activities (to name but a few) -- reaches much of the American public every year, and is in principle an ideal venue from which to educate the public about critical issues in Earth system education. The urgency of global change, crises associated with natural resources and natural hazards, and the significance of new ways of thinking about how the Earth works make effective informal science education an especially important tool for fostering an Earth science literate public. Though national efforts exist to reform formal Earth science education, no efforts currently exist to systematically raise the standards of informal Earth system education, or to compile examples of effective models. Attempts to foster interactions and cross-fertilization between informal and formal education have not reached nearly their full potential. And researchers who must satisfy education and outreach requirements associated with research programs might greatly improve the impact of their outreach with effective models if such models they were readily available.
Speakers in this session will contribute to improvement of informal geoscience education through presentations on new and more effective ways to encourage lifelong learning in Earth system science. Examples of appropriate presentations include (but are not limited to) special events for the public, application of tested classroom approaches to outreach, use of popular media as outreach tools, and new forms of interactive exhibits. We especially encourage presentations that evaluate sustained impact, e.g., upon learning or upon affective variables such as improving attitude toward science and increased interest in pursuing other opportunities for informal geoscience education. Presenters are welcome to present completed work, work in progress, or visionary ideas on reform in informal geoscience education.
Robert M. Ross
Director of Education
Museum of the Earth at the Paleontological Research Institution
1259 Trumansburg Road, Ithaca, NY 14850
Ph: (607) 273-6623, Ext.18
Fax: (607) 273-6620
Email: ross@museumoftheearth.org
Visit us on the Web at:
www.museumoftheearth.org and at
www.priweb.org.
The Museum of the Earth is part of Ithaca's Discovery Trail. Learn more at
www.discoverytrail.net.