Planet Earth

Earth & Environmental Science V1053y

Pedagogical Framework:

"To develop competence in an area of inquiry, students must (a) have a deep foundation of factual knowledge, (b) understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework, and (c) organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and application." (from Committee on Developments in the Science of Learning, 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School, National Academy Press, p. 16.)

Format:

Content Days

The quote above tells us that competence in an area of inquiry begins with a foundation of factual knowledge. Content days, and the work you do in preparation for Content Days, are aimed at building that foundation. In preparation for a Content Day, you should read the assigned chapter of the textbook, and think through answers to the "Questions for Review" at the end of the chapter.

When you come into class, you will be given a piece of paper with two questions. The first will be one of the “Questions for Review” from the current week’s reading. The second will be one of the “Questions for Review from any of the previous weeks’ readings. The answers will be collected, and graded. These and other in-class activities (see below) will count for 25% of your grade!

The next segment of Content Day will be an instructor-led discussion/presentation of the topic's factual knowledge base, with an emphasis on those concepts that the most students found most confusing or most interesting.

The discussion will also work towards establishing a "contextual framework" for the week's facts and ideas. Examples of "framework" concepts which we will revisit again and again include plate tectonics as an organizing principle for solid earth processes, evolution, climate change, and "systems thinking" ideas of flows of mass and energy.

Active Learning Days

The quote above tells us that competence in an area of inquiry requires organizing mental knowledge in a way that you can do something with it,--you can pull up the relevant piece of information and use it to solve a problem, or to defend a position, or generalize to a new situation, or do something else useful or interesting.

On "active learning days," you will do something with your newfound factual knowledge and conceptual framework. For example, you might be asked to bring your factual knowledge to bear on interpreting a data set. Or you might be asked to design an experiment to test a hypothesis. Or you might be asked to connect your book-learned factual knowledge to processes and objects that you have observed during your years of life on Planet Earth.

These in-class activities will be carried out in a cooperative learning mode, working in pairs or threesomes, and oral presentations of results from your inquiry will sometimes be required.

---

Return to Planet Earth home page.

Check out the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Web Site.

Return to the Columbia University home page.

Updated: January 8, 2007

Email Webmaster.