A new instructional tool paradigm to teach geoscience at the intermediate (age 12 - 14) school level

A new pedagogically sound tool, based on accurate and up-to-date science, has been developed that allows students to practice science using real-time and archived data sets. Based on the process of scientific inquiry around a series of selected topics in geoscience (e.g., El Nino, the ozone hole, global warming, the Amazon river) this multi-media tool is graphically rich and user friendly and engages students in the practices of geoscientists. Under the guidance of a scientific leader, students embark on a virtual research vessel for an exploratory research expedition and navigate from instruction provided with quicktime movies, to data sets through a rich and accessible data center and information through a web-based information center. A comprehensive teacher’s guide helps the teacher with the software and classroom management as well as grading through a rubric approach. Some elements of this software will be demonstrated in this presentation.