Computer Science – Learning
Scientific paper
Dec 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006agufmed51a0830p&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006, abstract #ED51A-0830
Computer Science
Learning
0810 Post-Secondary Education, 0830 Teacher Training, 0855 Diversity, 6225 Mars
Scientific paper
As a senior pre-service teacher at Huston-Tillotson University, a minority-serving institution in Texas, I found myself in need of a science course and reluctantly enrolled in "Special Topics in the Geosciences," a survey course taught by visiting scientists from The University of Texas at Austin's Institute for Geophysics (UTIG). I had no idea what the geosciences were about. On the first day of class we took a test and I began to feel a sense of foreboding, but after speaking with the instructors, I left filled with excitement. With my limited background in science, I knew that the class was going to be challenging and require a lot of studying. I took every opportunity offered in the class to learn more about the geosciences. If there was a field trip, I went. If there was an opportunity for me to speak to children about what I learned, I did. For example, I participated in the Explore UT open house event where, rather than being an observer as I had expected, I found myself explaining earthquake seismology to students, parents and visitors. The experience was pivotal. As I explained to a small group of 3rd graders how they could use computer applications to observe and understand seismic waves, I realized I wanted to be a science teacher and not an elementary level-teacher as I had planned. Since completing "Special Topics in the Geosciences," I've been an undergraduate research assistant at UTIG. Over the summer, I adapted approximately ten existing UTIG Earth Science learning activities into the 5-E instructional model for the fall 2006 professional development Earth Science Revolution Workshops for in- service teachers, and I developed a new lesson on tides for these workshops. I also participated in presenting both a workshop for minority-serving elementary teachers and a class for alternative certification teachers at HTU. In early September, I joined a group of scientists, engineers, and space-suited "astronauts" in the Arizona desert near Meteor Crater to "practice" for future human missions to Mars as a participant in NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) project. My role was to help scientists and engineers with experiments to determine the efficacy of Ground Penetrating Radar in locating buried ice (water) and other resources, such as metals, and to translate my experience into K-12 classroom activities. In the spring/summer of 2007 I expect to participate in a marine geophysical cruise offshore Panama and Costa Rica. The immersion in science, the opportunities to be part of scientific research teams, my daily interaction with scientists and graduate students, the mentoring from research scientists at UTIG, and the respect shown to me for transforming their science into interesting projects for K-12 students and teachers have been critical elements in my decision to pursue science teaching as a career.
Ellins K. K.
Holt Jackie
Olson H. C.
Putman N.
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