14.45 lancellotti

Scuola di Scienze e Tecnologie

Sezione Geologia
http://www.unicam.it/geologia/unicamearth/

http://d7.unicam.it/teachingearthsciences

TEACHINGEARTHSCIENCE:
A WEBSITE FOR TEACHERS

Lorenzo Lancellotti
PhD University of Camerino
Earth Science Department

"Science Education and Guidance in Schools: The Way Forward”
Firenze 21-22/10/2013


Sezione Geologia


Preliminary remark
In the last decades the development of virtual and useful tools for
teaching science at school has increased really fast and:

“even without going totally virtual, the Internet can provide a rich and
valuable learning environment for anyone interested in the sciences” .
(Doherty, 1996).

http://www.circoloinformatico.it/


Sezione Geologia


The research idea

The research starts form the idea that Italian teachers might benefit of a web
tool collecting the most interesting materials for teaching Earth Science.


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The motivation

• Italian science teachers are mostly biologists (more than 40%)

• There is lack of interest or competences in Earth Science Teaching

• There is a lack of Earth Science teaching material in Italian. Most of
references websites are in English and not structured for Italian schools.


Sezione Geologia


The aims
• To set up effective computer based teaching tools for Italian science
teachers.

• The website will host a repository of the most interesting and useful
Earth science tools currently available, adapted for Italian schools.

• The lectures will be tested on a pilot group of teachers.


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The expected outcomes

• To evaluate relevance, efficiency and impact of this website.

• To evaluate if the website help teachers to feel more self confident
towards Earth Science teaching.


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The first step
Understanding teachers’ needs and selecting the themes to work on.
The sample is composed by the teachers who inscribed their schools at the
2012 Natural Science Olympiad.

We decided to use this sample because:

•It is large
•It is geographically various

•It’s easy to contact

The regional phase of Natural Science
Olympiad in Emilia Romagna


Sezione Geologia


The questionnaire
A questionnaire has been sent to the selected sample
Some of the questions asked to the teachers:
Teaching behaviors
nell’insegnamento delle scienze della Terra mi avvalgo del laboratorio*
nell’insegnamento delle scienze della Terra mi avvalgo di computer e proiettore*
nell’insegnamento delle scienze della Terra mi avvalgo della LIM*
nell’insegnamento delle scienze della Terra utilizzo materiale presente su siti specializzati*
ho fatto almeno una lezione di scienze della Terra in lingua straniera

The main themes request by the teachers
Il sistema solare e i pianeti

La tettonica delle placche

La cartografia

L’atmosfera e la meteorologia

Le rocce e i minerali

Il clima

La giacitura e la deformazione delle

L’idrosfera marina

rocce
I vulcani

L’idrosfera continentale

I terremoti

Il modellamento del rilievo terrestre

SI

NO


Sezione Geologia


Poco d’accordo  Molto d’accordo

The most request supplementary teaching materials

Poco d’accordo  Molto d’accordo

E-learning


Sezione Geologia

The preliminary data
The analysis of the collected answers shows that most of the teachers
normally use PC and projector, much more than interactive blackboard.


Sezione Geologia


Moreover teachers say they would like to have more materials:

Animations
Movies

Hands-on activity
Test


Sezione Geologia


Reguarding…
%

Il sistema solare e i pianeti

70.0

La cartografia
60.0

Le rocce e i minerali

50.0

La giacitura e la deformazione
delle rocce
I vulcani

40.0

I terremoti
La tettonica delle placche

30.0

L’atmosfera e la meteorologia
20.0

Il clima
L’idrosfera marina

10.0

0.0

L’idrosfera continentale
Il modellamento del rilievo
terrestre


Sezione Geologia


On the basis of teachers’ answers a dedicated website has been built.

The web site homepage


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The web site is located in a specific area of the Unicamearth web page:
http://d7.unicam.it/teachingearthsciences/

where teachers can register
themselves to have free access
to the learning objects


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Some personal details are recorded, to carry out a statistical survey at the
end of the project.


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Up to now the web site contains the first 3 teaching units:
• Plate tectonics,
• Volcanoes,
• Earthquakes


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Each Unit contains different lessons, all of which including:

•
•
•
•
•

power point file
pdf file
MP4 file
set of exercises
extra movies
A screen shot of the website showing a page with all the learning object available


Sezione Geologia

The power point file

The ppt is composed by the most significant images flanked by key-point text.


Sezione Geologia

The additional links: every time it is possible different links are inserted

Lab activities
Animations

Movies
In-depths
material


Sezione Geologia

Using these links teachers can get most of the material they ascked for:


Sezione Geologia


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The pdf file

It is the content of the whole
lesson, composed by the same
images present in the ppt lesson,
but by a richer text.



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The exercises
A set of multiple choice (from 10 to 20 depending on the lesson’s length)
and of open answers exercises (10)


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The mp4 file
The slide show of the lesson with a voice off explaining the content


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The additional short movies
A series of short movies clarifying the most important concept of the lesson


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What teachers can do?
• The ppt lessons cab be used directly or modified.
• The pdf is a sort of guide for the lesson.
• The Mp4 is thought for the teachers, but it could be used also in a “flipped
classroom” approach.
• The exercises are a suggestion for the evaluation.

• The short movies are a simple way to explain complex concepts.


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At the moment the registered teachers are close to 100.

A screenshot of some registered teachers


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Each learning object has its own comment space, where teachers can
record their opinion.


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A feedback questionnaire for the first two units has been uploaded.
It provides valuable information for determining teachers’ response, in order
to improve the quality and the effectiveness of the web site.


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The analysis of the first set of answers.

It confirms the highest % of biologists among science teachers.


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and the use of specific website for Earth science teaching


Sezione Geologia


Teachers indicate a certain grade of satisfaction about the different learning
objects:


Sezione Geologia


The web site started to be online in the second part of the last school year,
thus less than half of the teachers managed to use the materials in their
classroom.

But most of them said they will do in the future.


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A section of the questionnaire is about the general structure of the website:


Sezione Geologia


The website is easy to use.

The website structure is clear.


Sezione Geologia


The website extends teachers’ teaching materials,
adding information to the school book.


Sezione Geologia

The web site makes them feel more self confident

Teachers say that they would have more teaching units and they
would suggest the use of the web site to their colleagues.


Sezione Geologia


To sum up
The first set of data are encouraging for going on and uploading new Units.

A comment left by a teacher.


Sezione Geologia

And now?

• Engage as many teacher as possible
• Register their feedback
• Improve the existing units
• Upload more teaching units
• Collect and elaborate the final evaluation


Sezione Geologia

Thank you
for your attention!


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