Victor J. Mayer

Knowledge about the Great Lakes Environment: A Comparison of Publics

Abstract Baseline information about public knowledge of the Great Lakes was collected from two groups in an urban lakeshore area. Survey questionnaires were completed by 570 shoppers in two Cleveland, Ohio, shopping malls during April, 1989. This “general public” study revealed that knowledge levels about the Great Lakes are low. In January, 1990, the survey was repeated at a regional boat show in Cleveland, with 425 respondents. Respondents who cited newspapers or lake experiences as their primary source of Great Lakes information were most knowledgeable. Boat show respondents (“recreational users”) outscored the general public on both knowledge and vocabulary related to Great Lakes issues. A review of the substance of the survey responses indicates areas of need for public information programs.

Relative Effectiveness of Four Modes of Dissemination of Curriculum Materials

ABSTRACT:An evaluation of four different dissemination modes distributing activities developed through a teaching materials development program was performed. The activities, developed for use in middle schools, focused on Great Lakes topics in science, history, and social studies. It was found that short intensive workshops were more effective than longer workshops both in participant use of materials and in transmission of the materials to other potential users. The difference in usage seems to be related to differences in the professional orientation of teachers attracted into the two different types of workshops. Simply giving activities to prospective users resulted in no usage. Those individuals who took the trouble to mail order the materials used them but at a somewhat lower frequency than those who participated in a workshop. It is concluded that short intensive workshops are the most cost-effective way of ensuring usage of the type of curriculum materials disseminated in this program.

The Role of Planet Earth in the New Science Curriculum

Earth science is very poorly represented in the nations science curriculum. The two major science curriculum restructuring projects inadequately present planet Earth in their major understandings. The earth sciences, in turn, have undergone radical changes in the past 20 years resulting in a conceptual shift to what is being called the Earth System. Earth System concepts must be infused throughout the nations science curriculum. The Earth System, in fact, could very well serve as the conceptual framework upon which to base the entire K-12 science curriculum as the new integrated science curricula evolve. For this to happen, there must be a more accurate understanding of the nature of science among the nations science-curriculum builders, a better understanding of the naive theories about the Earth System that children bring to the classroom, and adequate resources allocated to the study of science in the nations schools. Hanging in the balance is a science, political and business leadership, that is e...

The Philosophy of Science and Global Science Literacy

There has been a significant amount of discussion in the science education literature concerning needed changes in the science curriculum. These discussions have centered on several proposed reasons for change. One is based on the relative performance of a nations children on international tests, the major political driving force behind the efforts of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in the United States to produce guidelines (AAAS, 1989; NAS, 1996) for the improvement of science curricula targeted as contributing to these low test performances (Bracey, 1998; Wang, 1998).

Evolution of Global Science Literacy as a Curriculum Construct

Science as a major component of school curricula can provide a model of a process for effective communication and decision making across barriers to understanding imposed by differences in culture and language, a fundamental objective of the social studies curriculum construct of global education (Anderson, 1992). The scientific process can provide a model for achieving dialogue among peoples with different languages and from diverse cultures. Science in school curricula can also become a common meeting ground for science teachers and social studies teachers. It provides an avenue of linkage between the curricular areas and an opportunity for interdisciplinary planning and teaching. Together social studies and science teachers can help to ensure that our future leaders and voters will understand our interrelationships with peoples around the world and how our daily activities affect our planet and its resources. This is a fundamental goal of global education. It also lies at the core of Earth Systems Education, discussed in the next section of this chapter, and our efforts to develop a global science literacy rationale and program, the topic of this chapter.

Using Cooperative Learning as a Structure for Earth Systems Education Workshops

“Teachers teach as they were taught” is a maxim containing a great deal of truth. Current thinking about effective ways for children to learn science suggests that cooperative or collaborative situations are optimum. It therefore follows that teacher-enhancement programs should also use cooperative or collaborative learning. Educators involved in the Program for Leadership in Earth Systems Education, funded in 1990 by the Teacher Enhancement Division of the National Science Foundation, created a workshop format that effectively uses such a learning structure in which teachers learn modern science concepts, identify appropriate instructional materials for use with their students, and learn to conduct workshops for other teachers.

A Case History of Science and Science Education Policies

In this chapter we examine the apparent link between the history of national science priorities and the nature of the science curriculum in one country, the United States of America. We suspect that equivalent links can be found in most other countries, especially those that have aspired to some form of international leadership in politics and commerce. We document here how national priorities in the United States and the resulting political structure of the science establishment over the past century have resulted in a representation of the nature of science in school science curriculum that is inconsistent with the challenges facing the science establishment in the post Cold War world. Especially influential has been the need to develop a source of science and engineering man power and the technology essential for maintaining a strong national defense and an economically competitive business community. Science curricula are heavily influenced by the nature of the physical sciences since they have been successful in providing the scientific foundation for establishing and maintaining a powerful military and industrial/commercial capability.

The Role and Scope of Evaluation in the Development of CEEP Modules.

The Crustal Evolution Education Project (CEEP) utilized three separate stages of evaluation in developing its instructional modules. All three included collection and analysis of three types of data: student background characteristics, student performance variables, and process or climate variables. All three achieved different and reinforcing objectives. The evaluation program overall is one of the most comprehensive and systematic yet attempted in science education. The ability to do this on a very limited budget was made possible through the use of self-instructional evaluation procedures, which are now available to others.

Characteristics of Teachers and Students in the Second Stage of CEEP Evaluation.

Forty-five teachers and over three thousand secondary school students have participated in testing materials developed by the Crustal Evolution Education Project during the second stage of evaluation, the 1976–77 and 1977–78 school years. In most characteristics these teachers are typical of earth science teachers, however, their backgrounds in geology are superior to those of most earth science teachers. Also they were surprisingly well prepared in crustal evolution. The students were primarily 9th graders with some 8th graders and senior high students involved. The students tended to be academically above average. The results of this study emphasize the need for the third stage evaluation in which an attempt has been made to select more representative teachers and students.

How Is Coastal Temperature Influenced by the Great Lakes and the Ocean

The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate. With this set of lessons, middle school Earth systems science teachers can help their students build an understanding of how large bodies of water can serve as a heat source or sink at different times and how proximity to water moderates climate along the coast. The activitys combination of laboratory investigation, map study, and graphing applies different learning styles and provides practice in important science processes. The activities are adapted from Earth Systems Education Activities for Great Lakes Schools: Great Lakes Climate and Water Movement (V. J. Mayer et al. 1996).