Communicating Ocean Sciences: Teaching Learning Theory to Science Students to Improve Science Communication

CRAIG STRANG, CATHERINE HALVERSEN and TIM ZIMMERMAN, University of California Berkeley

 

June 2-4, 2008 in Berkeley, CA                                                                Apply:UWA

 

Note: This course has a materials fee of $350 (in addition to the application fee).  Because of NSF funding to the Lawrence Hall of Science, there is no additional participant fee.

 

Increasingly, scientists are expected to possess the knowledge and skills necessary to communicate complex science to the general public, policy makers, planners, etc.; however, until recently few science programs prepared future scientists for this important challenge.

 

This short course sponsored by COSEE California prepares scientist/science educator teams to co-teach either or both of our award-winning college courses: Communicating Ocean Sciences (focusing on pedagogy and learning theory) and Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences (focusing on “free choice environment” pedagogy and learning theory).  These courses, developed collaboratively by scientists and marine education specialists at UC Berkeley and The Lawrence Hall of Science, provide students with a background in current learning theory and opportunities to apply that theory through practical school-based or museum/aquarium-based science communication experiences.  COS and COSIA are designed for undergraduate and graduate science students, and are appropriate for students with a broad range of science backgrounds.

 

The COS course includes an "outreach" component in which pairs of students observe and then teach a marine science unit of their choosing in a local K-6 classroom.  COSIA students perform outreach in local museums, science centers, aquariums or marine labs.  There are currently over 20 universities and institutions that offer COS or COSIA nationwide!  Be part of the scientist-as-communicator solution by learning how to teach COS or COSIA at your institution.

 

For college teachers of: Ocean science and related disciplines; science education.  Prerequisites: None.

 

Dr. Strang is Associate Director of Lawrence Hall of Science and Director/PI of the NSF-funded Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence--California.  He is founding Director of MARE: Marine Activities, Resources & Education, a K-8 professional development/curriculum development program that works with whole schools to increase learning and language acquisition for English-language learners. Strang is author of three sets of science and environmental education curriculum materials: Proyecto SOL: Science Oriented Learning, Project OCEAN, and MARE. He is co-author of three LHS Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) teacher guides: On Sandy Shores, Ocean Currents, and Only One Ocean. He was the consultant responsible for creating a high school environmental justice internship program, XCEL: Cross-Cultural Environmental Leadership. Strang has conducted field research on elephant seals and humpback whales, and occasionally leads eco-tours to Baja California and Galapagos.

 

Dr. Halversen is Director/PI of the NSF-funded Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences (COSIA) project which helps to facilitate collaborations between scientists, college students and informal institutions across the country.  She also serves as the Co-Director of COSEE–California at the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) and as part of the COSEE center co-developed the Communicating Ocean Sciences course.  She has taught the course at UC Berkeley for the last four years and facilitated numerous other universities to launch the courses at their institutions. Halversen is Co-Director of the Marine Activities, Resources & Education (MARE) program at LHS, and has written numerous marine science curricula used nationally.  Halversen has also worked extensively in developing and implementing programs which promote science inquiry integrated with literacy skills.

 

Dr. Zimmerman serves as the Program Manager for COSIA (Communicating Ocean Science to Informal Audiences).  His doctoral research focused on the design and testing of marine science curricula that help learners apply scientific concepts to marine conservation problems. He has developed marine science curricula in conjunction with several institutions including the National Geographic Society, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Monterey Academy of Ocean Sciences, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society.  He has lectured and taught classes at several universities on scientific topics, environmental policy, and the design of science curricula.  Dr. Zimmerman holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in marine biology and has conducted ecology, marine biology, and oceanography research.

 

 

Provided Materials

 

Each participant will receive the following resources:

·        3-inch think binder completely full of 1) course session write-ups with materials lists, background information on each topic, "play by play" directions for instructors, timing of each lessons component, and copies of handout materials; 2) sample syllabi from past years and multiple institutions; 3) guidelines on getting the course listed at their college or university; 4) sample assessments and student work assignments; 5) sample grading scheme.

·        CD containing the above materials in PDF format

·        CD containing already created Power Point Presentations that accompany all 12 lessons

·        LHS MARE curriculum guides containing lesson that can be used by the college students when they teach younger students

·        access to online support and an online community of fellow professors already teaching the course

·        ongoing support from LHS staff