The historical foundations of modern earth science education : using the power of history in earth science education

Abstract

This project is part of a larger collaborative effort between science, math, and education departments at East Carolina University. The project aims to address the common science and mathematics deficiencies of many high school students by (1) elucidating the relationships among the history of scientific discovery, the geological sciences, and modern scientific thought; (2) developing, and utilizing in the classroom, activity-based instructional modules that are relevant to the modern geological sciences curriculum and that relate fundamental scientific discoveries and principles to multiple disciplines and to modern societal issues; and (3) using these activity-based modules to heighten students' interest in science disciplines and to generate enthusiasm for doing science in both students and instructors. The educational module developed from this linkage of modern and historical scientific thought is activity-based, directly related to the National Science Education Standards for the high school sciences curriculum, and adaptable to fit each state's standard course of study for the sciences and math. The module integrates historic sciences and mathematics with modern science, contains relevant background information on both the concept(s) and scientist(s) involved, presents questions that compel students to think more deeply (both qualitatively and quantitatively) about the subject matter, and includes threads that branch off to related topics. A module for the topic of density has been developed and is waiting to be tested.