| ESERA
Travel Award 2008
Roberto Greco
Doctorate School in Earth System Sciences
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra
Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Largo S. Eufemia 19, 41100 Modena, Italy
I
spent my study visit in the Department of Education
at Keele University, Keele (UK) from the 6 of April
to the 18 of May 2008. During my visit I planned to
enrich my experience of how to conduct research and
how to assess the effectiveness of Earth science teaching.
Location
In Keele the work on geoscience education has particular
importance because is one of just two institutions in
the UK that offers initial teacher education in Earth
science as part of secondary science. The Earth Science
Education Unit has also been established in Keele since
1998 as a national centre of expertise in the research
and delivery of Earth science education.
Furthermore Keele is the home of the Science Learning
Centre West Midlands. The Centre is providing professional
development in science education at all levels across
the West Midlands and is monitoring its effectiveness.
My
supervisor
In Keele my supervisor was Professor Chris King expert
in Earth sciences teaching. Professor King is a lecturer
for training teachers, is Director of Earth Science
Education Unit and Science Learning Centre West-Midland
and is a member of the International Geoscience Education
Organization IGEO.
What
I have done in Keele
I had the opportunity to observe training teachers and
permanent teachers, to find out more about the preparation
of Earth sciences teachers in UK, to have direct experiences
in school about the teaching of Earth science in the
UK, to enrich my own bibliography, and to observe meetings
of associations and working groups in Earth science
teaching, following Professor King in his daily work
and talking with him about my research project.
Specific
question that were addressed during the visit.
During my visit I focusud my attention on the following
issues:
- collecting
useful idea about ways to improve the teaching of
Earth science and to involve teachers in that process;
- enriching
my experience of how to conduct research and how to
assess the effectiveness of Earth science teaching;
-
studying the development of thinking skills through
Earth science.
This
last point particularly focused my attention. Before
travelling I was more interested in finding good methodology
to teach the knowledge of Earth science, but this experience
moved my attention to the development of thinking skills
through Earth science and to try to investigate how
to improve this aspect of teaching. The Cognitive Acceleration
through Science Education (CASE) programme, consideration
of the thinking skills developed through Earth Learning
Idea activities, and Professor King’s workshopd
with teachers and training teachers inspired me in that
direction.
What
happened after my return?
My experience in England was very useful and exiting
and it inspired me after only a few weeks to organise
a meeting to create a working group on Earth science
education within the Italian Association of Natural
Science Teachers ANISN (Associazione Nazionale Insegnanti
di Scienze Naturali www.anisn.it),
with the name ANISN-DST (DST Didattica delle Scienze
della Terra = Earth science education). The goal of
the working group is to create communication channels
between the different Italian research groups in Earth
science education and to collect the best educational
formats in Italy and in the world (lessons, laboratory
activities, etc.) and distribute these through a website,
whilst upgrading courses for teachers. Among the first
projects will be the translation of hands on activities
from http//:www.earthleaningidea.com
into Italian and its distribution to schools. I have
already run five workshop to disseminate these activities
involving more than one hundred teachers, whilst collecting
interview data and monitoring the use of the activities
into the schools. Following my advice, ANISN even decide
to select an Italian team for the International Earth
Science Olympiad in Tawian in September 2009 and to
associate to FIST (Federazione Italiana Scienze della
Terra).
In April 2009 in my city Modena, an International congress
on science education will be held. My Italian tutor
suggested to the main organization to invite Prof. King
and he will be the chair of Earth Science education
session.
On September 2009 at Rimini during the Geoitalia 2009,
VII Forum Italiano di Scienze della Terra, there will
be a workshop on ‘Earth Sciences and secondary
school:
from the laboratory to the field trip how to interest,
involve and inspire’ I’m one of the three
conveners.
I have decide to focus my PhD research on the development
of thinking skills through Earth science education working
with secondary Italian school.
Conclusion
The experience was even more useful than I had expected.
In my university department the science education staff
is small, at the moment, so there was no opportunity
for exchanging ideas with an expert. I am still in contact
with Professor King and continue to ask him for advice
on the development of my research.
Without this exchange experience, my view on educational
research would have remained very restricted and local.
I have found this kind of travel really useful in developing
relationships, enhancing my perspective of the way to
conduct research in different country situation and
in getting to know more about the education systems
of other countries.
Roberto Greco
Doctorate School in Earth System Sciences
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra
Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Largo S. Eufemia 19, 41100 Modena, Italy
Tel: +39-059-2055823 Fax: +39-059-2055887
cell +39 328-6928266; roberto.greco@unimore.it
http://www.earthsystem-school.unimore.it/index2.php
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