Cathy Manduca, SERC Earth Educators Rendezvous 2017 Creating a Community Research Plan Lessons from 2002 Bringing Research on Learning to the Geosciences Manduca, Mogk and Stillings 2002 Cathy Manduca, SERC Earth Educators Rendezvous 2017

Establishing Context What do you hope to accomplish? Why is now the right time?

Why 2002? How People Learn (2000) Hake, 1998 Existing efforts Community call dvances in the science of learning have reached the stage where application to educational practice can have a major impact on student learning (How People Learn, NRC, 2000; Knowing What Students Know, NRC, 2001). A critical step in the successful application of principles of learning science to the classroom, has been the development of disciplinary communities that adapt research results to the specifics of the particular educational problems of the discipline and engage in discipline focused research on learning. For example, the identification of specific misconceptions, techniques for engaging students in conceptual understanding, and assessment instruments for verifying the efficacy of these techniques has been integral to the application of research on learning to the Physics community (e.g., McDermott and Redish, 1999). Similarly, the development of a community of learning scientists and chemists to address issues surrounding visualization in chemistry was an important first step in applying learning science to this important area of chemistry education (http://pro3.chem.pitt.edu/workshop/index.html). 2000 2017

Connect and expand GER research dramatically To what end? Connect and expand GER research dramatically Bring learning research into use in geoscience dvances in the science of learning have reached the stage where application to educational practice can have a major impact on student learning (How People Learn, NRC, 2000; Knowing What Students Know, NRC, 2001). A critical step in the successful application of principles of learning science to the classroom, has been the development of disciplinary communities that adapt research results to the specifics of the particular educational problems of the discipline and engage in discipline focused research on learning. For example, the identification of specific misconceptions, techniques for engaging students in conceptual understanding, and assessment instruments for verifying the efficacy of these techniques has been integral to the application of research on learning to the Physics community (e.g., McDermott and Redish, 1999). Similarly, the development of a community of learning scientists and chemists to address issues surrounding visualization in chemistry was an important first step in applying learning science to this important area of chemistry education (http://pro3.chem.pitt.edu/workshop/index.html). 2000 2017

build connections between experts on learning and geoscience educators develop buy-in from geoscience educators and creators of educational resources on the value and applicability of research on learning develop interest in researchers on learning in exploring questions of high interest to geoscience educators disseminate research on learning and its effective application to the classroom within the geoscience education community https://serc.carleton.edu/research_on_learning/workshop02/motivation.html

Explore feasibility of developing a research project that engages geoscience faculty in obtaining and interpreting data addressing a learning question of high utility in informing geoscience educational practice. https://serc.carleton.edu/research_on_learning/workshop02/motivation.html

What Happened as a Result? Add books, GER most recent report, JGE? Division? 2000 2004 2017

Key Findings From Report Lots of mutual opportunity at intersection of geoscience and learning science Discovery must be coupled with bringing research into use Capacity building is necessary Coordinated effort among geoscience educators and learning scientists Creation of connections Linking research and practice Research strategy

Key Findings From Report Research strategy: Expertise: What is nature of geoscience expertise? Learning: What is path to expertise? Instruction: How does instruction support this learning? Creation of connections Linking research and practice Research strategy

Key Findings From Report Research strategy: Expertise What characterizes the thinking of an expert geoscientist? What important concepts and skills are essential? How do geoscientists understand the Earth system in the context of complex interactions? What are goals of geoscience education? Learning Instruction Creation of connections Linking research and practice Research strategy

Key Findings From Report Research strategy: Expertise Learning What are cognitive pathways to achieving this expertise? How does this fit in with more general developmental and learning progressions? Time, Complex Systems, Visualizing the Earth Instruction Creation of connections Linking research and practice Research strategy

Key Findings From Report Research strategy: Expertise Learning Instruction How should learning environments be developed to effectively support students’ achievement of geoscience expertise? Field experiences, work with geoscience data Assessments to understand the above Creation of connections Linking research and practice Research strategy

What Happened as a Result? Goals drive Outcomes Outcomes drive Impacts Remember goals – link to learning sciences, link research to dissemination, build capacity

What Happened as a Result? Coordinated Effort Among Geoscientists and Learning Scientists Science of Geoscience Learning Proposal (~2005) Spatial Intelligence Learning Center (2006) Coordinated effort among geoscienc educators and learning scientists 2000 2017

SILC Geo Research Agenda 2005 Presentation Focus on common visualizations Characterize expert perception Develop understanding and tests of student perception Develop and test materials that lead students from novice to expert perception Disseminate materials and results

What Happened as a Result? Capacity Building is Necessary Cutting Edge: Pedagogic Emerging Themes Teaching with Visualization 2003 to Teaching about Time 2012 Synthesis of Research on Thinking and Learning in the Geosciences (2008) Importance of building bridges to learning scientists Viz 2003 Assessment 2004 Affective Domaine 2006 Metacognition 2008 Comlex Systems 2009 Temporal learning 2011 2000 2017

What Happened as a Result? Discovery must be coupled with bringing into use Pardee Symposium Earth and Mind I (2006) How Geoscientists Think and Learn (EOS, 2009) Earth and Mind II (2012) Starting Point: Teaching Introductory Geoscience Viz 2003 Assessment 2004 Affective Domaine 2006 Metacognition 2008 Comlex Systems 2009 Temporal learning 2011 2000 Lots of individual/research group publications 2017

What Happened as a Result? a research project that engages geoscience faculty in obtaining and interpreting data addressing a learning question of high utility in informing geoscience educational practice. Geoscience ConceptTests, Geo Concept Inventory InTeGrate Student Learning Classroom Observation Project Time scale of path to research project GARNET 2000 2017

What Didn’t Happen as a Result? Emergence of GER as a field How published/where published

Emergence of GER JGE NAGT GER Division GER Advanced Degree Programs This effort Add books, GER most recent report, JGE? Division? 29 Papers in Past Year 4 Papers in 1994 1 Paper in 1967 1994 2017 1994

What Didn’t Happen as a Result? Emergence of GER as a field how important was the report vs the general times? relationship to GER Division? NSF funding initiatives or programs Guiding research agenda within GER How published/where published

What does this mean for you? Publish in a journal or book series where people will look for it Website is a valuable archive and community tool