What Can Classroom Teachers Learn From Research Scientists? A Maury Project Experience

This poster presentation describes a teacher outreach program developed by a Maury Project Peer Trainer, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (LDEO), and two other science education organizations. These workshops were co-sponsored by the Science Teachers Association of New York State/Westchester Section, and the National Association of Geoscience Teachers/Eastern Section.

In their efforts to teach important science concepts and help students develop a "scientific" world view, most teachers rely on textbooks and other highly "processed" sources. Research scientists, on the other hand, generally use "raw data" to gain new insights about the world. The classroom teacher's approach is often necessary to avoid confusing students and for the convenience of "finishing" lesson preparation on time. But often this approach is used because it is the only one teachers know. The training of many teachers never included interactions with "real" scientists or use of unprocessed data, so teachers have no "role models" to share with their students that convey the excitement of original discovery.

For two years, Maury Project Peer Trainer Michael J. Passow has worked with LDEO researchers in a series of "Saturday Workshops for Educators." These programs attempt to address this problem by providing classroom teachers with chances to hear research scientists describe some sense of the wonder and fun involved in conducting original research. Before and after each presentation, Dr. Passow uses Maury Project teacher-training modules and other materials to provide teachers with classroom-ready activities. Teachers return to their classrooms with enhanced knowledge of ideas in the forefront of the field, materials they can use directly with their students, better understanding of the types of raw data used by scientists, and enthusiasm to share what they have learned.

The program began in 1998 with three workshops. Christopher Small described use of satellite-derived data to map the ocean floors. Robert Newton explained how information can be obtained about polar regions, and its implications for the rest of the world. Donna Witter demonstrated ways to use microwave radar data derived from a satellite to study ocean currents.

In 1999, the program increased to five workshops. Small and Witter combined their presentations around the theme of "Satellite Oceanography". Newton expanded his explanation about polar oceanography. New material added in 1999 included Martin Visbeck's presentation about the North Atlantic Oscillation, a phenomenon similar to El Niño. Rusty Lotti Bond, Curator of the LDEO Core Laboratory, the world's largest repository of deep-sea sediments, hosted a workshop in which teachers were able to bring back to their students samples of materials collected on the sea floors. Finally, Joseph Ortiz discussed research into climate forcing, including carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses, on a variety of timescales from seasonal to 10's of thousands of years.

The teacher participants reached by this program came mostly from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, with one from Maryland. Both teachers and research scientists are enthusiastic about the program, which will continue in the current year.