ERIC Number: EJ1164017
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Nov
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1089-9995
EISSN: N/A
How Students Can Be Supported to Apply Geoscientific Knowledge Learned in the Classroom to Phenomena in the Field: An Example from High School Students in Norway
Remmen, Kari Beate; Frøyland, Merethe
Journal of Geoscience Education, v61 n4 p437-452 Nov 2013
Our study explores how students apply geoscientific knowledge learned in the classroom to phenomena in a field setting. This was investigated by collecting video data from an ordinary high school context in Norway involving one teacher and a class of 17 high school students. We analyzed how the students learned rock identification and relative dating, first during the classroom preparation and then in the field. Supplementary data were collected 1 y after the fieldwork, when six of the students solved two posttasks of rock identification and relative dating. The video analyses of the students' talk and behavior while doing rock identification and relative dating focused on the level of student engagement, their thinking moves, and the extent of their understanding. The findings reveal that students who were able to apply their knowledge of relative dating were not able to do so for rock identification. One reason for this, we suggest, is that the nature of the geoscientific content influenced the students' ability to apply their knowledge in a field environment. Therefore, we identify qualities of relative dating and translate them to what we call "tools for observation and interpretation." The article closes by suggesting how the qualities of relative dating can inform the development of tools for observation and interpretation for rock identification.
Descriptors: Earth Science, High School Students, Foreign Countries, Secondary School Science, Science Instruction, Learner Engagement, Secondary School Teachers, Grade 12, Geology, Class Activities, Video Technology, Field Instruction, Observation
National Association of Geoscience Teachers. Carleton College W-SERC, One North College Street, Northfield, MN 55057. Tel: 540-568-6675; Fax: 540-568-8058; e-mail: jge@jmu.edu; Website: http://nagt-jge.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Norway
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A