The University of North Texas, in collaboration with Denton Independent School District (ISD), Lewisville ISD, Irving ISD, Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, Fort Worth ISD, the Elm Fork Education Center, and the Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center, are using this OEDG planning grant award to establish a targeted partnership in the North Texas region to explore strategies for enhancing the quality of geoscience education at the elementary school level for Latino/a English Language Learners (ELLs). The project seeks to help prepare K-5 teachers who will begin teaching a new science curriculum in the fall of 2010 that includes Earth Science objectives at every grade level. Monthly planning workshops in September, October, and November of 2010 will bring together stakeholders from the North Texas region, including ~30 elementary science teachers from North Texas elementary schools with large Hispanic populations, six UNT faculty members with expertise in geoscience education and bilingual education, and two representatives from local informal science education outreach centers. The partnership will assess the challenges of teaching Earth Science to Latino/a ELLs, plan research-based methods for confronting these challenges, and identify deficits in teacher preparation and curriculum materials for geoscience education.
The goals and objectives of the EAGLE-NT partnership were to: (1) discuss existing research on elementary students' misconceptions about science, best practices for science education for English Language Learners (ELLs), and the geoscience career pipeline model; (2) assess the challenges in North Texas elementary schools when teaching Earth Science to Latino/a ELLs and plan methods for confronting these challenges using research and best practices in English Language Learning (ELL) and science education; and (3) identify deficits in teacher preparation and grades K-5 curriculum materials for geoscience education of ELLs and leverage existing resources and outreach mechanisms to improve these areas. In response to these goals, we convened three planning workshops that brought together geoscience researchers and educators, science teachers from North Texas elementary schools with high populations of Latino/a ELLs, bilingual education specialists, and representatives from local informal science education outreach centers. When discussing the challenges faced by ELLs in particular, teachers in the workshops explained that ELLs tend to struggle with (1) "anything they can't see - cycles: nitrogen, water, etc.", (2) "Any topic involving time or space (more abstract concepts)" and (3) "Hands-on learning in science and group work (due to communication)". The teachers also indicated that specific geoscience topics that ELLs struggle with include weathering, erosion, deposition, landforms" sun, earth, moon relationships/patterns formation of rocks & fossil fuels alternative energy & natural resources The participants also indicated that science poses a particular problem for ELLs due to the terminology/vocabulary needed to understand the content. The content of the workshop met or exceeded the expectations of most participants, particularly the discussion of misconceptions in science and the presentations on GIS were most helpful. One teacher commented, "The most valuable aspect of the workshop has been the highlights of misconceptions in education. I think that this issue is not adequately addressed as we are rightfully forward-focused in our profession, but somehow neglect to reflect and re-learn what we have previously misconceived." Another commented, "The GIS information was new to me and looks like it can have value as it is incorporated into future learning opportunities." To evaluate interest in GIS as a tool for teaching geoscience in the elementary grades, we conducted an electronic survey of administrators in Texas school districts regarding the presence of GIS in schools and classrooms. Of the 119 school administrators who responded, 73% indicated that their district does not have a license for GIS software, 61% indicated that none of their science teachers use GIS for instruction, and 72.8% indicated that they didn't know enough about the pedagogical value of GIS. Conclusion Geoscience teachers feel confident in their content knowledge of most of the Geoscience standards, but not in the newer standards on renewable energy and biofuels. The teachers surveyed consider that ELLS struggle to grasp abstract concepts in Geoscience such as weathering, alternative energy and natural resources due to the terminology/vocabulary needed to understand the content. While GIS could assist Geoscience instruction to ELLS, most administrators surveyed lacked knowledge of its pedagogical potential and most districts did not have site licenses for GIS software. Improved use of GIS in teaching Geoscience concepts may help to improve the interest of ELLS of Geoscience.
