Annotated Bibliography (Karen and Martín)

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY:

 Bezzi, A., & Happs, J. C. (1994). Belief systems as barriers to learning in geological education. Journal of Geological Education, 42(2), 134-140.
Using a survey of 1000 junior high students, the authors investigated the interaction between students’ prior knowledge and the ways students process new information. The results showed that learning outcomes are influenced by the students’ beliefs in unexpected ways.

 Falk, J. H., Martin, W. W., & Balling, J. D. (1978). The novel field‐trip phenomenon: Adjustment to novel settings interferes with task learning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 15(2), 127-134.
This paper explores the effect of the novelty of new or different settings on students’ behaviour and cognition. It addresses the anecdotal evidence purporting the benefits of field trips and the effect on the overall belief of teachers of the overall positive effects of the inclusion of field trips in learning.

Guertin, L. A. (2006). Integrating handheld technology with field investigations in introductory-level geoscience courses. Journal of Geoscience Education, 54(2), 143-146.
The use of handheld technology (Palm Pilots) in a geoscience field course and the effectiveness of their inclusion in the course goals of challenging students in developing active learning, using the scientific method, using technology, and working with data sets. Results indicated engagement and high effectiveness in reaching the course goals for a majority of the students.

Hofstein, Avi, and Sherman Rosenfeld (1996). Bridging the gap between formal and informal science learning. Studies in Science Education, 28(1): 87-112.
The authors investigate creating motivational learning environments that provide materials and direction in multiple instructional techniques that propel students’ understanding of concepts by being able to interact both physically and intellectually to make abstract science concepts concrete. They explore and define the positive effectiveness of mixing “informal” science learning and its application into formal education settings to enrich learning experiences.

Hurst, S. D. (1998). Use of “virtual” field trips in teaching introductory geology. Computers & Geosciences, 24(7), 653-658.
A brief historical view of field trips, summarizing various studies of the implementation of science field trips, and suggestions for integrating field trips into the science curriculum. Attempts to answer the question of whether or not the assumption that cognitive gains are achieved with the incorporation of field trips is supported with accurate accounts of both affective and cognitive improvements. 

Kean, W.F. and Enochs, L.G., 2001, Urban field geology for K-8 teachers. Journal of Geoscience Education, 49, 358-363.
This paper addresses the resource limitations teachers may have including geology field trips and laboratories into their curriculum. When provided with ideas and a sharing forum, teachers in the study had an increase in the belief of their ability to teach earth science more effectively with limited resources and opportunities for excursions.

Kelly, M. M., & Riggs, N. R. (2006). Use of a virtual environment in the GeoWall to increase student confidence and performance during field mapping: An example from an introductory-level field class. Journal of Geoscience Education, 54(2), 158-164.
This piece describes the effects of using virtual environments as preparation for geology field trips and associated field work and the benefits to the students in the field when they are prepared beforehand with baseline skills of terrain-analysis, self-location, and translating scale.

Lin, M. C., Tutwiler, M. S., & Chang, C. Y. (2011). Exploring the relationship between virtual learning environment preference, use, and learning outcomes in 10th grade earth science students. Learning, Media and Technology, 36(4), 399-417.
This study investigates the degree effectiveness of using virtual environments (in the place of ‘field trips’) in a student vs. teacher based navigation and its effects on the achievement levels of senior high school students in Earth Science in their post-intervention test scores. It was found that while the relationship is complex, generally students scores benefited most when the non-traditional virtual learning environment was used and students could clearly see the link between tasks and the desired learning outcomes.

 Michie, M. (1998). Factors influencing secondary science teachers to organise and conduct field trips. Australian Science Teachers Journal, 44(4), 43.
This article explores factors influencing secondary teachers in planning and executing field trips. Factors such as student safety, administrative procedures, transportation, cost, timetable constraints, and the time and effort require of teachers v. the educational benefits of field trips.

Prather, J. P. (1989). Review of the value of field trips in science instruction. Journal of Elementary Science Education, 1(1), 10-17.
This piece talks about evaluating three different groups: One in traditional setting, one with a component of laboratory component, and one with field trips and how they performed after these experiences.

Ramey-Gassert, L. (1997). Learning science beyond the classroom. The Elementary School Journal, 97(4), 433-450.
This article addresses the call for more informal science education, as prescribed by more recent curriculum updates. It focuses on the importance of this type of education as part of varying methods of effective instruction in the context of learning outside of the formal classroom. 

Rudmann, C. L. (1994). A review of the use and implementation of science field trips. School Science and Mathematics, 94(3), 138-141.
The author reviews the historical view of field trips as an educational tool, addresses the implementation of science field trips, and proposes suggestions for integrating field trips into the curriculum.

Stumpf, R. J., Douglass, J., & Dorn, R. I. (2008). Learning desert geomorphology virtually versus in the field. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 32(3), 387-399.
This paper compares the quantitative learning results between field trips, virtual field trips and using both in an introductory university geomorphology course and found that there was no difference statistically in their knowledge. The authors did find a difference in the personal ownership of knowledge in field trip participants however.

Inquiry Project Topic

I am interested in the assessment of the effectiveness and engagement of field trips (with Martin Gepp)

Entrance Slip: Embodied Learning

This excerpt is rather inspiring to me, as I am looking for ways to bridge physics and earth science with art as well personally as a teacher. Having been so disinterested in physics in grade school to discovering how it really applied to me in life through cross-curricular studies in university, I very much believe in bridging the gap between my own teachables and other subjects. The idea of using bodily experiences to teach and learn seems at first thought, very reasonable and achievable to a certain extent. On the surface, using movement and other bodily experiences seems, at the very least, more engaging for students than the traditional model of the talking head teacher and students taking notes. There are so many kinds of bodily experiences that can be practiced in the realms of earth science and physics that are helpful for students to understand concepts within those two subjects. Within the subject of earth science, the sensory experiences that come with shaker tables when examining earthquakes, exploring how water affects the Earth's on-land with surface stream modelling boxes, and bodily demonstrations using students to illustrate the way different seismic waves affect the Earth, are just a few examples of how movement can be examine and demonstrated. Physics itself is often generally thought of as the study of movement - by examining movement and how input of forces on objects etc. affect those objects in experiments and demonstrations, students are learning the concepts of physics through inquiry of why objects /particles move or are influenced to move a certain way. Based on the reading, it is rather possible to bridge the gap going both ways with math and art with the embodiment of movement and sensory experiences - it stands to reason that the same pairing can be made with art and other subjects as well, given that purposeful activities are incorporated into lessons. A final thought on the usefulness of gestures in teaching and learning: one of my most memorable high school lessons was on the subject of how atoms can move, via translational, vibrational, etc. movement. This memory and the associated concepts has never left me, because my chemistry teacher used gestures and her body to demonstrate all of the ways an atom could move, with her finishing on telling us that in her younger days, she would demonstrate rotational movement by means of a cartwheel. Even without her performing the cartwheel, this lesson has always remained distinctly fixed in my mind and I have yet to have trouble recalling how atoms can move based on her embodiment of atom movement! Sorry about getting this in a bit late, Susan - its been a rather busy few days for me!

Exit Slip: Inquiry Project thoughts

The subject of assessment outside of tests is an extremely interesting concept for me based on today's discussion. Especially knowing now that administrators are generally more open to it now and going forward, it seems that there are so many opportunities to evolve assessment to be much more meaningful and useful in the interest of the students' development. Project based assessment occurs to me as a very practical, effective, and encompassing way to build core competency skills while addressing context. A very interesting inquiry project could be developing this method and including testing for the tools students need to complete the project while the actual marks come from the evaluation of their project. This evaluation could be a combination of 180/360 degree peer reviews and teacher evaluations. Coming from geoscience however, I am very interested in the concept of using field trips as part of schooling and education. Being a very conceptual area in general, it is very important to tie those abstract concepts to the real world and be able to observe and explore the result of those concepts in real life. I would like to focus on exploring the effectiveness of field trips, especially in other subject areas out side of geoscience. I believe that these trips are very valuable in regards to engaging students in connecting their knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to the real world and especially applying them one day to their university and future careers. They can take substantial time out of the course of a semester however so I would also like to explore how to meaningfully incorporate other subject area topics into a field trip for effectively using the classtime used for the field trip. (I am planning to work with Martin on this inquiry project).

Entrance Slip: What do marks do in school?

1. Assigning percentages and letter grades is on the surface is an accessible and straightforward assessment method, giving the teacher a quantitative measure of a student's level of learning and understanding of the material. We know however that grades are not straightforward and tests do not necessarily reflect a student's true understanding of concepts and development. While grades can be positive in giving students a relative measure of their own learning and even be considered by some students to be motivating if they do not receive a grade that they expected, but it is readily apparent that tests, grades, and even deadlines can influence a student negatively in creating stress and anxiety. 2. Grades can have numerous unintended side effects, both positive and negative. This is very much dependent on the student, their status in that particular situation, and those can change over the course of a class or a semester. These side effects be segregating and create competition (although those can be two different things as well as a combined effect). Quite often, being marked can be demoralizing and decrease effort in classroom i.e. negative marks = demoralized and decreased effort negatively while positive marks if a student didn't put much effort in but received a high grade regardless - this can result in decreased effort/intrinsic motivation, with the student 'cruising' instead of putting in meaningful effort, therefore decreasing their learning. Most commonly however, when the focus is on grades instead of tasks and learning (stress) learning is decreased overall because students tend to focus on memorizing instead of real learning. 3. Teaching science without grades based on all of the negative effects of grades seems ideal. Using methods such as having students share/discuss their learnings and having them collaboratively create assessment criteria and rubric as a class seem extremely engaging and effective in encouraging students to learn without the immense pressure of having those criteria forced upon them. The reading also indicates that students can lean into their interests by being able to choose their topics. This freedom of choice and the space to self-direct their learning seems to increase intrinsic motivation and result in meaningful, engaged learning. I would very much like to use these methods in my own classrooms as my own personal teaching style will involve a lot of connecting students to the material to be covered by guiding them to see the connections to the 'real'world' outside of the classroom and ideally creating interest, if not passion, for the subject material because they can relate it to their every day lives.

Exit Slip: Tolerance vs Welcoming, Role Models

The difference between being tolerant and welcoming seems to be rooted in empathy, the absence of which results in only tolerance. True empathy leads to understanding and inclusion in finding commonalities and valuing differences. The feeling of being welcomed or being welcoming is very individual to each person based on their personal experiences it seems. In general, I think having each student be able to feel heard and understood is ideal in the idea of welcoming, even in something as simple as having their name pronounced correctly, as discussed in class. I feel building rapport with students and having students interact to build rapport with each other is paramount in creating a welcoming environment for students. Role models are incredibly important for students of all ages and experiences in my opinion. Having the guidance and mentorship of a role model, in almost any capacity, is beneficial to every individual. In regards to specific subject areas, the idea of diverse role models for students to look to as an example to follow can be so constructive in developing interests, self confidence, and promotes their learning. Diversity in available role models on a very superficial level is a wonderful resource in that a diverse body of students can find commonalities and break down existing stereotypes. In my experience as a woman in STEM has not always been positive, but having varied mentors as resources has contributed greatly to my own feeling of belonging in the community. My female mentors have inspired me in my own life goals - seeing and experiencing them be instrumental within the geophysics community has helped me personally breakdown my own inherent biases. For a classroom, finding role models can be as simple as doing a rudimentary search on LinkedIn for people within the field. A teacher could pull up profiles of professionals within a certain field, including their photo and the description of their experiences. This is a role model resource that can show both diversity and give examples of what students could aspire to as well!

Tolerence vs Embracing - Notes

What makes you feel welcome (vs not welcome) especially in your field: - invitations to collaborate, social events (exclusion/lack of invite) - acknowledgement of opinions in discussions - personal rapport - individual rapport building, sharing personal vs sharing academic only (or not at all), offers of help and collaboration - respect (general) - not being talked over, ignored, interrupted - opportunities in filed, type pf work given, response to academic/research - action items created from this information showing faith in technical skill - support in times of hardship - not being stereotyped (gender, race, language, age etc.) into certain expectations based on stereotypes - being included for the main reason of having representation of a minority within the field vs being included for merits -

Exit slip: UBC Orchard Gardens

Today was extremely enlightening in the ways that students can learn so many different skills and gain so much knowledge in a garden. Just being outside, despite the construction noise, was very centering and calming. I feel that environment really helped me personally slow down which is what I would hope for my students who will be growing up in a world where they are inundated with rushing to meet deadlines and a constant bombardment of information to absorb. The exercise where we drew man made and natural objects really highlighted that for me. Just looking at one thing for more than a 30 second span was a noticeable change in my current life. The ties from various subject areas to the garden makes that environment very valuable. As a physics and earth scientist, it is a significant personal goal in my teaching profession to be able to help my students connect those subject areas to their daily lives and inspire their interest in the world around them. It is my opinion and personal experience when you can link your knowledge together and have a natural curiosity for the world around you, everything cab be interesting or in the case of geoscience especially, it can tell a story! I do worry about students not being able to disconnect and truly immerse themselves in the garden experience but that is on me as a teacher to relate and "hook" them in. In regards to the actual produce and work involved with the gardening aspect, I see a lot of value in students understanding where their food comes from and the influence their personal consumption choices affect the planet. Lastly, being outside and sharing music is simply joyful - I hope that is something I will be able to share with my future students!

Multicultural School Gardens: Entrance Slip

This paper is of great interest to me as an enthusiastic horticulturalist. In just the context of student driven garden experience, this article describes the many learning opportunities for knowledge and skills, as well as providing a space for cultural exchange. Even outside of the context of a student garden, I have personally experienced these benefits with my own exposure to community gardens and within the gardening community as a whole. As a teacher, a central goal with gardens for students would be having the students' view point shift from the environment and food being objects or places, to having them realize and explore the connection they have with the environment and their food. The question posed within the article of exploring what children are looking for in a "natural connection" and whether or not they even seek such a connection is fascinating, especially considering the availability of predominantly indoor activities children seem to gravitate towards such as anything requiring a screen. I feel building this connection and view of being a part of the cycle would in turn create and nurture the concept of sustainability and their part in the environment as well as their nutrition knowledge. The end result of the physical skills they would develop is food, a tangible product of their hard work and patience over a season of lessons in and around the garden. Aside from all of this, the concept of adding another dimension of learning is brilliant - the garden seems to be a fantastic place for ELL students to really develop their language skills and have opportunities for cultural exchange within their community (communities). The comment that students regarded the garden as a slower space, in contrast to the traditional classroom where they would feel rushed, is of great benefit to ELL. Removing the stress and pressure of using and learning English seems to me a very good way for ELL students to practice speaking and learn how to listen to English thereby assisting in their English skill development as well as cultural learning. How to properly interact with others within a new culture is seems more readily observable and learned in a less structured space such as a garden. Another brilliant idea that was brought up in this article is the garden buddies program. Involving family members, who could also be ELL and feeling somewhat alienated from their community, and community members is such a wonderful idea to again build that supportive space where ELL development could be fostered with both practice and experience. The idea to springboard off of this experience into ELL development of reading and writing skills seems so streamlined, with activities as drawing and writing descriptions of plants over their growth etc. Lastly, the set up involving a pre-assessment and an end survey seems very valuable and could contribute greatly in a measurable way to the inquiries about garden classrooms and ELL development in and around those gardens.

Exit Slip (Sept 28)

Multidimensional teaching and classrooms are fascinating to me. Seeing the level of engagement from the students and witnessing them working together in order to solve the problem was simply inspiring. I thought back to my own traditional math classes in high school and my consequent struggles with higher level math in university and wonder how well I could have done in a multidimensional math class, given the opportunity. Having never personally had any classes that strayed away from that traditional structure in high school, it is a bit daunting to be able to lead such classes but I am highly motivated to be able to do so as I see so much value for the students in it. They also seem to create space for teachers to be able to acknowledge students individually and as a group(s) with a much higher level of nuance. With recent readings, I have been starting to form negative associations with the difficulty of giving praise in a classroom but after discussing with my peers the more tactful and productive ways to acknowledge a student, I am less adverse to the idea of praising students in class. I also really enjoyed the exercise of splitting into groups based on extro or introverted - ness. I feel these exercises can build empathy and understanding between people. Having a loud, outspoken group to find commonalities with and hearing the thoughts of those who were the complete opposite was very valuable and I know I will be meditating on this going forward to hopefully be able to improve myself personally as well as improve my relationships with others.

Max Van Manen on 'Tact in Teaching': Entrance Slip

When one generally thinks of the the term pedagogy, it is defined in a technical sense, of how to effectively deliver content. This delivery seems hardly ever considered in the light of really HOW to do so while maintaining emotional boundaries with yourself and your clients, the students and parents. This article was very interesting in highlighting the difficulties with being universally tactful. "But a problem with giving recognition is that it may lead to feelings of inequality." As an encouraging, positive person in general, I do find myself giving compliments, easily and without reservation generally. The examples and especially story from one complimented student did give me pause however - it honestly had never occurred to me that praise can be so personal when in a public forum. Being singled out, despite all good intentions, especially being a young adult who is still developing their self confidence and identity, could be rather detrimental for the student, therefore being considered untactful. It could be perceived as favoritism by other students, teachers, and parents as well. Furthermore, other high achieving students that are not publicly praised could take offense or be demoralized by the lack of compliments on their achievements. A teacher's practical wisdom may be influenced by good or bad situations resulting from giving compliments. The tact of being an universally encouraging teacher for myself seems to potentially lie in reining public compliments back or reserving them for very extremely positive occasions while maintaining a positive demeanor towards all students in each class. "The perceptiveness needed, the understanding or insight required, the feeling for the right action are not necessarily separate stages in a sequential process." Being able to think on one's feet and maintain healthy boundaries with so many people simultaneously is a daunting task. Unfortunately, I personally do not see any way around it as a teacher aside from what the article alludes to of being conscious of the potential consequences of your actions or inaction in the social situation of a classroom. I believe self reflection and thoughtfulness go a long way in this. Being practiced outside of the classroom in sensing personal space boundaries and the moods of people you are interacting with seems a huge benefit to this point. Being socially awkward in having ambiguity about your own boundaries and mood would be quite detrimental in any interaction and especially detrimental in perceiving another's in order to chose a 'right action' on the fly. Practicing socializing with people and asking for feedback in interactions with friends and mentors could be useful in defining your own boundaries etc. in order to be able to perceive those of other people and be able to react appropriately. "If teachers were to try to be constantly critically aware of what they were doing and why they were doing those things, they would inevitably become artificial and flounder." It is easy to make tact as a teacher about self-reflection and moderating your actions as a teacher but this quote brings up a good point. At some point, it will become too much to break it down into steps or justify your reasoning for your executed actions. Good or bad, your own personal values and natural personality will play a large role in your interactions with people and at some point, you are going to unconsciously slide back into your natural state of perceptiveness because one simply cannot, be on, all of the time. I think it is to the benefit of a teacher to play on their natural strengths while consciously reinforcing their own desired insight and reaction skills. It occurs to me that children and their parents alike will be able to sense if you are being artificial. This might be worse than a tactfulness transgression. Overall, this article has made me reflect on my own approaches in communicating with people. Developing tact seems such an elusive vague task but I believe this reflection and conscious incorporation of tactful methods will result in an overall improvement in my own tact as a teacher which ideally will one day become my standard. My students will benefit and perhaps even learn tact themselves from my example. Dealing with parents just seems straightforward in that you would always want to be tactful when discussing their child in any situation. A lack of tact in that case could create tension and conflict that may influence the student negatively. Tactfulness is an extremely valuable skill, especially in conflict resolution, and I believe with a bit of practice and awareness tact as a teacher can be an on going learning process.

FLIP classrooms - exit slip

Coming from a math and science background, I absolutely love the concept of FLIP classrooms. The ability of students to have to pause and review within videos can help learn concepts and then they have time to think about the topic and develop questions to discuss in class. This also gives students the ability to clarify anything they were not able to grasp beforehand. As the classroom portion is not simply a lecture and note taking, they can be more engaging when using demonstrations and interactive activities. In my personal experience, retention of information is much higher in more engaging and interactive settings. Specific to Khan Academy type programs, the ability to track students' progress etc is extremely useful in the assessment of students. Having practice questions to complete before class enforces retention while highlighting weak and strong areas to focus on in the classroom. This gives a teacher the opportunity to really address concepts giving students difficulty. One could also develop demonstrations etc. specific to rounding out the knowledge of the class before moving on and to build on those concepts. FLIP does not have to be videos - can be anything where the student is familiarizing themselves with the main concepts and then exploring further in class. While there is a level of discipline required, a conscious assessment system could mitigate any difficulties (i.e. Khan Academy tracking) In general, FLIP classrooms, especially in math and science, seem effective and a more efficient use of time within the traditional schooling structure.

Entrance Slip: On Becoming a Reflective Teacher

Despite the differences in the frame of reference from when this was written, this article speaks very strongly to me. All of the questioned posed and the methods suggested seem very intuitive to me but it affected me deeply because while because of my personal background, this reflection practice is intuitive to me, not everyone would agree based on their own backgrounds as a teacher candidate. The issues such as time constraints and having diverse classrooms and teachers has remained the same. In my previous profession in oil and gas operations and production, the continuity of projects requires constant reflection on what has been done in order to evaluate the effectiveness of previous actions and decide how to move forward. This iterative process is simply ingrained into every aspect of my life, and I can confidently relate to the wholeheartedness portion of this piece. Certain points seem extremely dated to me, within my own privileged and diverse frame of reference in 2017, such as considering the cultures of others, especially around holidays, referring to and using multiple sources, the concept of inclusiveness, and the entire section regarding the worthiness of reflective teaching, especially in the context of whether it is a realist/desirable goal. As a staunch advocate of iterative reflection in order to improve future practices, this section, while having extremely good points, did seem pedantic to me. While I feel I already espouse the ideals of the authors of this piece, it is a good reference to the practice of reflective teaching. It poses many excellent questions which I could personally use to critically think and use to guide my reflective teaching practice, especially in staying aware of my own biases and any "hidden curriculum" I could be pushing in my own classrooms.

Sept 14 - exit slip (Frank McCourt)

Frank's story is very inspiring to myself as a new teacher with only a small amount of teaching experience. His easily identified traits that identified him as different from the norm seemed be his greatest strength in building rapport with his students. I feel this was the case because his teenage students also would likely be able to easily relate to the feeling of standing out. That commonality would bridge the gap between the students and their teacher which exists especially in the case of authority figures like teachers. His comments regarding not forcing students to learn made me think that in teaching to students, one should aspire to adapt and fit into the gaps students have to support and strengthen them, as opposed to forcing a rigidly structured program upon them. This seems to mean that being an effective teacher highly depends on how flexible your lesson plans can be while remaining relevant. Improvising combined with this preparation can also mean there are opportunities to relate the topic at hand to the world outside of the classroom and facilitate the students' engagement.

Entrance Slip - Inquiry Topic Possibilities

1) The connection of geoscience to other subject areas and everyday life of a student - teaching techniques and how to relate geoscience principles and knowledge to other disciplines. Strategies to support the implementation of this knowledge outside of the classroom into the future. 2) The effectiveness of field trips and the power of abstraction. Especially in the field of geoscience, the concepts can be demonstrated but for true understanding, should experience real examples 3) Critical thinking and critical evaluation of available information in forming opinions and decisions making. The value of including current events into lesson plans and the development of information evaluation in decision making. Teaching how to find, understand, and disseminate unbiased information Also: Teaching soft skills versus teaching concepts and bridging the gap from school into 'the real world'

Exit Slip - Sept 7

The statements regarding mathematics education struck me as I had personally encountered them many times not only in my academic past, but also in my professional, technical roles. All 6 statements are seemingly easily argued by those who do not exist in a realm where math is readily used or apparent in their passions everyday life. Even those who apply mathematics everyday, such as my technical colleagues, were often not aware of these fallacies based on their assumptions. These fallacies seem to stem from an education system based heavily on exams and testing as an educational ends. The frequency that these common statements occur demonstrates to me a general lack of engagement in the subject of mathematics. This lack inspires a somewhat non-intuitive wave of creativity to relate math, generally perceived as a strict and non-creative area, to all people and their individual, familiar perspectives. The integration of mathematics into other subjects and vice versa seems an effective way of turning the abstract tool of mathematics into tangibly useful and relatable tools.