geoed - galvanising geoeducation in germany

Galvanising GeoEducation in Germany

Geosciences are a core element for sustainable global politics

Natural Hazards, Climate Change, Geological Resources and various other concerns have raised the stakes for education across the Earth sciences and underscore the importance of geoscience literacy among all citizens.

The GeoEd network aims towards a more intense integration of Earth and Space science issues into formal and informal education.

GeoEd

Website: http://www.geo-union.de/geoed-schule.html

http://www.geo-union.de/geoed-schule.html

Geosciences are… ◦ highly applicable to implement interdisciplinary education in

the classroom (skill building, decision making, sound scientific methods, scientific values, critical data interpretation)

◦ important in related fields (e.g. civil and environmental engineering, environmental studies, agricultural sciences, atmospheric and ocean sciences, life sciences, materials research, emergency services, and public administration)

GeoED will emphasize the wide range of application and the tight linkage among several disciplines by combining modern educational tools with applied science

Geoscience Everywhere



To attract future geoscientists in the classroom and share the passion for science it is important to make the geosciences more visible.

Earth and Space sciences enable interdisciplinary teaching in an unprecedented way.

This approach will also help to tackle diversity issues.

The GeoEd initiative will set up a platform to present (existing and novel) teaching material, provide and convey teacher workshops, and connect teachers, science centers and geopark centers.

Career Building


© Bookhagen/IASS


Actions: ◦ an online searchable database of existing outreach

efforts and materials◦ the identification of further requirements for classroom

teaching material (e.g. prepared lesson plans in combination with hands-on material and cross-media applications)

◦ professional teacher’s training will be organized

Ultimately, GeoEd will enlighten teachers and students for the highly interdisciplinary character of geosciences and provide links to everyday life.

Networking



GeoEd:Bridging the Gap between Geoscience and Schools

How can the interdisciplinary geosciences and the broader context of sustainability be better presented to teachers and implemented in schools?



The GeoEd concept“Museums provide

opportunities for the appreciation, understanding

and management of the natural heritage.”

“Museums have an important dutyto develop their educational role and attract wider audiences from the

community.”

“Interaction with the constituent community and promotion of their

heritage is an integral part of the educational role of the museum.”

(ICOM, 2004)

There is the commitment by science to develop new technologies and to understand the System Earth in all its complex interdependencies.

Research is aware of the importance and social function of science communication and education.

A strong support on different levels such as public information, public affairs and education is needed.

There is a latent need for a better understanding of the

living environment and the responsibility to actively be

engaged in political debates and decision making processes.

To understand political decisions and thereby participate in

sustainable environment and resource

management strategies will help to create a brighter

future for following generations.

The requirement for an inter- and transdisciplinary approach in schooleducation as well as the demand for a strong science literacy can be targeted by introducing Earth Science issues to educational concepts.

Sustainable development, environmental protection and responsible resource management will be maintained by a broad geo-scientific knowledge.

Museum

Public

Science

Education



◦ GeoEd has started to initiate a German wide network to intensify the connections between geosciences, museums and teachers

◦ At the Kickoff-Workshop in September 2013 representatives from natural science museums, universities teaching institutions (“Didactics”) and Earth Science institutes met at the IASS Potsdam to express their interest

GeoEd started


© Waldorfschule Ulm


Results from the Kickoff-Meeting:◦ Teaching material, additional teaching programs and more up-to date

and cutting-edge practical lesson modules are in strong need. ◦ A comprehensive presentation of existing material and their modular

usage to meet teachers’ demands is asked for. ◦ Out-of-school learning places require a strong visibility and a

representation on a local and regional scale.◦ Deficits were also identified in the teacher training. Content and topics

of geosciences need to be integrated in an interdisciplinary teaching frame.

The non-profit GeoEd-concept does not seek to become a competitor to other initiatives. Quite the contrary, GeoEd will help to advertize existing and former projects to increase their impact significantly.

Kickoff: Define the Demand



The following topics were identified as important for high school teaching: ◦ Climate: history, change and consequences (incl. social aspects)◦ Natural hazards◦ Mineral resources, Sustainability (incl. ecological and social conflict

potentials)◦ Water- and rock cycle (use fascination and esthetics, combine with

local geology)◦ Infrastructure (network, city planning and evolvement, risks and

sensitiveness◦ Geo + Art

Top Themes


© AWI Bremerhaven © GoldCorp


The first teacher-workshop about rare metals: June 14 2014 at the Deutsches Bergbaumuseum Bochum.

Next workshop on rare metals: November 21 2014 at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

More workshops are planned in: Chemnitz, Karlsruhe, …

Teaching Teachers


© GeoEd © GeoEd


◦GeoEd started to collect information about existing educational programs and projects on Earth and Space sciences

◦The GeoEd webbased dataset with detailed information about educational out-of-school activities will be launched within the next weeks

◦GeoEd will take on a leading role in bringing together the geoscience outreach community.

A proposals to acquire grants for the development of teaching materials will be written, based on the members’ ideas brought together at various meetings and workshops.

Next steps …



geoed - galvanising geoeducation in germany

Education

geoed willhelp

geoed network

science centers

interdisciplinary education

geoed initiative

earth science institutes

novel teaching material

nonprofit geoedconcept