Carla McAuliffe

• Researcher at TERC

Technology applications aligned with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workplace practices can engage students in real-world pursuits but also present dramatic challenges for classroom implementation. We examined the impact of teacher professional development focused on incorporating these workplace technologies in the classroom. Be...

Eyes in the Sky was a professional development program created by TERC with funding from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program. Key components of the program included (1) a 12-week distance learning course, (2) a 2-week summer workshop, (3) a classroom implementation ph...

The Earth Exploration Toolbook provides instructions on accessing and analyzing Earth science data to explore scientific concepts and issues.

The DataTools professional development program (http://serc.carleton.edu/eet/msdatatools) helps teachers integrate technology, scientific data, and inquiry into their middle and high school curricula. Over the course of the year-long program, teachers develop skills and a pedagogy of inquiry through a combination of on-line and face-to-face profess...

The Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET) Workshops Project provides a mechanism for teachers and students to have successful data-using educational experiences. In this professional development project, teachers learn to use National Science Digital Library (NSDL), the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE), and an Earth Exploration Toolboo...

An enduring challenge in Earth system science education has been to prepare teachers to teach for deep understanding of subject matter. Standards and trade textbooks are often too broad to allow for in-depth treatment of specific topics, and many teachers have had limited exposure to how to plan instruction for the core concepts of Earth system sci...

This paper compares and contrasts the impacts of three professional development designs aimed at middle school Earth science teachers on how teachers plan and enact instruction. The designs were similar in their alignment to research-based practices in science professional development: each design was of an extended duration and time span, included...

TERC's professional development program Tools for Data Analysis in the Middle School Classroom (a.k.a. DataTools) addresses the need for well-prepared Earth science teachers by helping change the practice of those who are "approaching Earth sciences from a traditional perspective", and 2) those who are "challenged by the need to link research with...

The Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET, http://serc.carleton.edu/eet) is an online collection of computer-based Earth science activities. Each activity, or chapter, introduces one or more data sets and an analysis tool that enables users to explore some aspect of the Earth system. Series of step-by-step instructions show users how to 1) access the dat...

Developed by TERC and the American Geological Institute with funding from the National Science Foundation, Earth Science by Design (ESBD) is a year-long program of professional development for middle or high school teachers based on the Understanding by Design approach pioneered by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. ESBD is designed to help teachers: ·...

One of the challenges faced by Earth science teachers, particularly in K-12 settings, is that of connecting scientific research to classroom experiences. Helping teachers and students analyze Web-based scientific data is one way to bring scientific research to the classroom. The Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET) was developed as an online resource t...

It is widely believed that teachers need high-quality curriculum materials to improve teaching and learning. Professional development designs differ, however, in whether they emphasize preparing teachers to use expert- designed curricula or preparing teachers with the tools needed to design and implement high-quality science units themselves. Evide...

In order for students to learn how to engage with scientific data to answer questions about the real world, it is imperative that their teachers are 1) comfortable with the data and the tools used to analyze it, and 2) feel prepared to support their students in this complex endeavor. TERC's Tools for Data Analysis in the Middle School Classroom (Da...

The International Polar Year is an opportunity to simultaneously increase our scientific understanding of the polar regions and to engage the next generation of Earth scientists and socially responsible citizens. However, building the bridge between the scientific community who conduct the research and the education community who convey that inform...

In order to effectively make Earth science data accessible, usable, and useful by the educational community it is clear that there needs to be a spectrum of services and resources that address the obstacles and support the efforts starting from the research scientist and ending with the student. We describe resources and services here that address...

Geology is among the most visual of the sciences, and spatial reasoning takes place at various scales and in various contexts. Among the spatial skills required in introductory college geology courses are spatial rotation (rotating objects in one's mind) and spatial visualization (transforming an object in one's mind). Geologic curricula commonly r...

Earth science data and data access and analysis tools have, for the most part, been collected and developed for and by scientists. The Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET, http://serc.carleton.edu/eet) has been developed in order to facilitate the broadest use of those data and tools . The EET makes Earth science datasets and analysis tools more access...

Although Earth science data and tools are officially freely available to the public, specific data are generally difficult to find, and are often provided in formats that are difficult to use. The Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET, http://serc.carleton.edu/eet) and DLESE (Digital Library for Earth Systems Education) Data Services (http://www.dlese.or...

Among the sciences, the practice of geology is especially visual. To assess the role of spatial ability in learning geology, we designed an experiment using: (1) web‐based versions of spatial visualization tests, (2) a geospatial test, and (3) multimedia instructional modules built around QuickTime Virtual Reality movies. Students in control and ex...

Among the sciences, the practice of geology is especially visual. To assess the role of spatial ability in learning geology, we designed an experiment using: (1) web-based versions of spatial visualization tests, (2) a geospatial test, and (3) multimedia instructional modules built around QuickTime Virtual Reality movies. Students in control and ex...

The International Polar Year and International Heliophysical Year are excellent opportunities to spark the interest and curiosity of students about Earth system science by providing them with the capability to explore the scientific data being gathered by these exciting research programs. However, the issues that need to be addressed before the IPY...

The Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET) presents step-by-step examples of using Earth science datasets and data analysis tools in educational settings. Each chapter in the EET walks users through a compelling case study in which they use data and analysis tools to explore issues and concepts in Earth system science. Designed for use by K-12 teachers,...

This study investigated the effect of different presentation strategies (2-D static visuals, 3-D animated visuals, and 3-D interactive, animated visuals) and gender on achievement, time-spent-on visual treatment, and attitude during a computer-based science lesson about reading and interpreting topographic maps. The study also examined the relation...

ABSTRACT Geology is among the most visual of the sciences, with spatial reasoning taking place at various scales and in various contexts. Among,the spatial skills required in introductory college geology courses are spatial rotation (rotating objects in one’s mind), and visualization (transforming an object in one’s mind). To assess the role of spa...

Learning with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) rather than about GIS has great potential for improving students' skills in problem solving, analysis, and spatial visualization. However, little is known about how well GIS-based learning lives up to this potential. Using classroom observations, student interviews and surveys, pre and posttests of...