Wayne Powell Brooklyn College GEOL 613 Earth Science

Wayne Powell Brooklyn College GEOL 613 Earth Science and the NYC Urban Environment

The Context for Course Design n Specific Impetus • Part of an NSF-funded project in partnership with the American Museum of Natural History • Integration of education in formal and non-formal environments

The Context for Course Design n Needs of the Project • Integration of museums and other nonformal learning environments into the curriculum

The Context for Course Design n Specific Programmatic Position • First (and possibly only) Earth Science course taken by teachers… … Introductory course

The Context for Course Design n Needs of the Program • No pre-requisite experience in geology • Leave them wanting more! (Need to build the program)

The Context for Course Design n Specific Audience • In-service teachers with little or no background in geology who are seeking a second certification in Earth Science; • In-service elementary school teachers who require additional credits in science

The Context for Course Design n Needs of the Audience • Course must correspond (at least in part) to state defined content areas • Connect science with literacy and social studies • Allow for quality teaching in schools with insufficient budgets

The Product n Earth Science & the NYC Urban Environment • Introduces a broad range of geological concepts (rocks, plate tectonics, erosion, weather) n Essential if it is the only course taken • Puts geological concepts into the context of NYC’s history and development n Essential for elementary school teachers, and provides a common context on which to map new material • Substitutes three weeks of classroom meetings for activities in NYC parks and neighborhoods n Essential for fulfillment of NSF proposal and obligations to AMNH; Models use of “free-of-charge” educational materials

The Product n Earth Science & the NYC Urban Environment n Designed around four guiding questions: • Of what is the city built? n Introduction to minerals and rocks, and their properties through the context of building stone • On what is the city built? n More in depth discussions of rocks common in the NYC area, and a discussion of NYC regional geography • How has the NYC environment changed? n Introduction to historical geology, plate tectonics, erosion, deposition, and anthropogenic processes in context of NYC • Why did the city develop here? n Linking Hudson trade routes and New York Harbor, availability of steel, etc. , to geological processes