Participation

Participation
Throughout this 16-week course, you will participate as individuals and in teams. Depending on the number of people enrolled, teams will consist of four to six participants. You will be expected to contribute to online discussion sessions "asynchronously." That is, you will be able to log on to the Internet and post your thoughts to the virtual Classroom spaces as your individual schedule permits, but by the specific assignment deadlines. This course will be moderated by a facilitator. Additional support from an Earth scientist mentor will be provided as the course progresses.

After the first three weeks, this course is structured in four, three-week cycles. You will study—both individually and in teams—a sphere (land, living things, water, air) in each of the four cycles.

As a participant in this course, you will identify how students develop Earth system science concepts through hands-on activities, and team discussions will revolve around examining essential questions about learning Earth system science and about teaching Earth system science. Therefore, you will look at science teaching and learning from the perspectives of a researcher, a scholar, and a designer.

Week A: Teacher As Researcher

Weeks 4, 7, 10, 13

Individual: Study the effect hands-on activities have on your students. Post in your Portfolio.

Team: Develop criteria for effective concept-building activities with your teammates. Post in your Portfolio.

Week B: Teacher As Researcher

Weeks 5, 8, 11, 14

Individual: Learn more about Earth system science by asking and answering questions.
Post in your Portfolio.

Team: Answer essential questions with your teammates. Post in your Portfolio.

Week C: Teacher As Researcher

Weeks 6, 9, 12, 15

Individual: Develop sphere lessons for your students. Post in your Portfolio.

Team: Give your teammates' feedback on their sphere lessons. Post in your Portfolio.

During the last week of the course, you will complete an individual final project, which is a comprehensive Earth system science unit plan. This unit plan will be made up of the individual sphere lessons created during each three-week cycle.

All assignments are expected to be submitted by the posted deadlines. Instructions for the assignments and the rubrics, as well as the deadlines, can be accessed from Weeks 4-16 in the Outline.

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HTML by Chris Kreger
Maintained by ESSC Team
Last updated August 04, 2000