9727631 Morrow The NSF Geosciences Education Working Group recommended providing training in education for geoscientists. The SSI and the Aspen Global Change Institute (AGCI) will collaborate on planning, implementing, documenting, and evaluating a pilot workshop on K-12 education for geoscientists who attend AGCI's two-week scientific meeting in the summer of 1998. The goals of the workshop are: 1) to raise awareness among leading geoscientists about why scientists' attention and involvement in K-12 science education is so important, and to equip them to share new knowledge and perspectives on education with their colleagues; 2) to inform geoscientists about important educational topics (e.g. National Science Education Standards (1995), cognitive psychology, and constructivist learning theory), and to pique their interest in learning more about science education reform; 3) to allow geoscientists the opportunity to examine potential roles they might play in support of K-12 science education, and to reflect on how they might best be able to serve (e.g. as an advocate of educational reform, resource of scientific information, or partner in educational product development). The workshop will draw upon the expertise and support of key scientists and education professionals as planners, advisors, workshop presenters, and evaluators. The workshop model could be instituted as a regular part of AGCI summer science meetings, and also as a part of other summer science institutes related to the geosciences.
