The ongoing educational anomaly of earth science placement

Journal of Geoscience Education
By: , and 

Links

Abstract

The geosciences have traditionally been viewed with less “academic prestige” than other science curricula. Among the results of this perception are depressed K-16 enrollments, Earth Science assignments to lower-performing students, and relegation of these classes to sometimes under-qualified educators, all of which serve to confirm the widely-held misconceptions. An Earth Systems course developed at San José State University demonstrates the difficulty of a standard high school Earth science curriculum, while recognizing the deficiencies in pre-college Earth science education. Restructuring pre-college science curricula so that Earth Science is placed as a capstone course would greatly improve student understanding of the geosciences, while development of Earth systems courses that infuse real-world and hands-on learning at the college level is critical to bridging the information gap for those with no prior exposure to the Earth sciences. Well-crafted workshops for pre-service and inservice teachers of Earth Science can help to reverse the trends and unfortunate “status” in geoscience education.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title The ongoing educational anomaly of earth science placement
Series title Journal of Geoscience Education
DOI 10.5408/1089-9995-51.4.424
Volume 51
Issue 4
Year Published 2003
Language English
Publisher Taylor & Francis
Description 7 p.
First page 424
Last page 430
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details