GLOBE education: supporting student research in the classroom

GLOBE is an international science and education program consisting of students, teachers, and scientists working in partnership to increase scientific understanding of the Earth and support improved student achievement in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering. Student research provides the foundation of GLOBE activities. At the heart of GLOBE education is an approach to professional development that supports teachers in the implementation of student research in the classroom. Utilizing established best practices in professional development, GLOBE has designed a three-part, mixed design approach to teacher instruction consisting of online and face-to-face components, including a pre-requisite online orientation course, a face-to-face workshop, and a post-requisite online practicum course. There is a strong research base for determining effective professional development programs for educators. In the United States, the National Science Education Standards outline standards for professional development for teachers of science. It is recognized that a challenge of professional development for science teachers is linking sources of high quality science research with the needs of classroom teachers. GLOBE teacher professional development is based on the educational relevance science research efforts. Significant attention is given to instruction and practice in student research and inquiry. This paper traces the path taken to develop the GLOBE professional development model that combines the strengths of online and face-to-face instruction to empower and engage the GLOBE community. Examples of guided practice will be highlighted.