This study assessed effectiveness of the Dunn-Seiler Museum's Omeka Virtual Platform by comparing student learning after virtual and hands-on informal outreach activities. The research, conducted in two Mississippi middle schools, focused on students’ (N=99) content gains and affective responses when engaging with fossil specimens that illustrate shifts in sea levels in Mississippi’s geological past. Data were categorized into three sections: content, affective response, and drawing portion. This mixed-methods research encompassed scoring student tests, coding student drawings, and identifying stable themes through teacher interviews. Analysis of pre-and post-tests for Control (hands-on) and Experimental (virtual specimens) groups revealed no significant differences in content gain or affective response when the data were aggregated for Control versus Experimental groups. Five themes emerged from qualitative analysis of teacher interviews, including teachers’ perceived importance of classroom novelty. Findings indicate that virtual fossil specimens offer a comparable experience to hands-on specimens in the context of museum outreach.

abstract: Education through field exploration is fundamental in geoscience. But not all students enjoy equal access to field-based learning because of time, cost, distance, ability, and safety constraints. At the same time, technological advances afford ever more immersive, rich, and student-centered virtual field experiences. Virtual field trips may be the only practical options for most students to explore pedagogically rich but inaccessible places. A mixed-methods research project was conducted on an introductory and an advanced geology class to explore the implications of learning outcomes of in-person and virtual field-based instruction at Grand Canyon National Park. The study incorporated the Great Unconformity in the Grand Canyon, a 1.2 billion year break in the rock record; the Trail of Time, an interpretive walking timeline; and two immersive, interactive virtual field trips (iVFTs). The in-person field trip (ipFT) groups collectively explored the canyon and took an instructor-guided inquiry hike along the interpretive Trail of Time from rim level, while iVFT students individually explored the canyon and took a guided-inquiry virtual tour of Grand Canyon geology from river level. High-resolution 360° spherical images anchor the iVFTs and serve as a framework for programmed overlays that enable interactivity and allow the iVFT to provide feedback in response to student actions. Students in both modalities received pre- and post-trip Positive and Negative Affect Schedules (PANAS). The iVFT students recorded pre- to post-trip increases in positive affect (PA) scores and decreases in negative (NA) affect scores, representing an affective state conducive to learning. Pre- to post-trip mean scores on concept sketches used to assess visualization and geological knowledge increased for both classes and modalities. However, the iVFT pre- to post-trip increases were three times greater (statistically significant) than the ipFT gains. Both iVFT and ipFT students scored 92-98% on guided-inquiry worksheets completed during the trips, signifying both met learning outcomes. Virtual field trips do not trump traditional in-person field work, but they can meet and/or exceed similar learning objectives and may replace an inaccessible or impractical in-person field trip. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Geological Sciences 2018

O presente trabalho discute a inserção das geociências na prática pedagógica de seis formadores de professores, que carregam como características comuns a pós-graduação em Ensino e História de Ciências da Terra pelo Instituto de Geociências da Universidade Estadual de Campinas e a atuação em disciplinas de metodologias de ensino e/ou em disciplinas de estágios supervisionados. Assumimos como formadores de professores todos os profissionais envolvidos com o processo de docência de futuros professores, tais como: docentes de disciplinas pedagógicas, metodológicas, estágios supervisionados e de disciplinas específicas. O principal objetivo desta pesquisa é entender como as geociências estão difundindo-se na prática desses formadores. Para tanto, partimos do princípio de que a formação neste programa de pós-graduação, as experiências profissionais e as experiências pessoais propiciam o desenvolvimento e/ou a ressignificação de práticas interdisciplinares que carregam alguns fundamentos históricos, epistemológicos e teórico-metodológicos das geociências articulados à Educação Ambiental, ao enfoque da Ciência, Tecnologia e Sociedade (CTS) e à História da Ciência. Para entendermos como práticas, metodologias e concepções deste campo do saber imbricam-se na atuação docente, recorremos à história oral temática por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas buscando desvelar quais foram os caminhos percorridos para que as geociências fossem incorporadas e legitimadas no processo de desenvolvimento da atuação docente. Com o propósito de construir uma análise mais frutífera, tornando a interlocução mais clara, ao longo dos capítulos as discussões teóricas foram permeadas pelas falas dos formadores, ou seja, as análises das entrevistas foram realizadas juntamente com a bibliografia a respeito dos temas delimitados, de modo a tornar constante o diálogo entre teoria e prática. Dessa forma, apresentamos primeiramente, as questões que permeiam o desenvolvimento profissional docente e suas múltiplas dimensões, destacando que a formação docente enquanto continuum se constitui através da reflexão crítica sobre as práticas e da (re)construção permanente da identidade pessoal. Por conseguinte, essas práticas pedagógicas conferem à atuação docente singularidade, uma vez que são delineadas por diferentes vivências, incertezas, reflexões e experiências. Em um segundo momento, esses fundamentos são aprofundados, trazendo à tona a constituição de diferentes práticas interdisciplinares concebidas por meio de alguns princípios da epistemologia das geociências, das práticas geocientíficas com ênfase para os trabalhos de campo; da utilização das linguagens e representações; e da constituição dos museus e das coleções. Por fim, realçamos a importância da interdisciplinaridade enquanto ferramenta de articulação do processo de ensino e aprendizagem, salientando que a ação interdisciplinar se constitui na própria prática e vivência do sujeito. Nesse contexto, as práticas interdisciplinares desvelam-se de diferentes maneiras e em inúmeras possibilidades de atuação docente, algumas vezes integrando os conteúdos, outras integrando o currículo e a construção de conhecimento. Tais concepções vão ao encontro das falas dos formadores, visto que as práticas se estabelecem por meio de diferentes áreas do conhecimento, como a Educação Ambiental, a discussão CTS, a História da Ciência, as geociências, a própria área do conhecimento do docente etc. / This study discusses the inclusion of geoscience in the educational practice of six teacher educators, who have in common graduate education in Teaching and History of Earth Sciences at Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, and the work in disciplines of teaching methodologies and or in supervised internship courses. We consider teacher educators all the professionals involved in the teaching of future teachers, such as: teachers of educational and methodological disciplines, supervised internships, and specific disciplines. The main objective of this research is to understand how geosciences are disseminating in the practice of these educators. Therefore, we assume that training in this graduate program, professional experiences and personal experiences promote the development and or the reinterpretation of interdisciplinary practices that have some historical, epistemological and theoretical-methodological foundations of geosciences linked to Environmental Education, Science, Technology and Society (STS) approach and History of Science. To understand how practices, methodologies and concepts of this field of knowledge intertwine in teaching, we resort to thematic oral history through semi-structured interviews, seeking to uncover what paths have been taken so that geosciences were incorporated and legitimized in the development of teaching. In order to build a more fruitful analysis, making the interlocution clearer, throughout the chapters, the theoretical discussions have been permeated by the speeches of educators, that is, the analysis of the interviews was conducted along with the literature discussion on the topics delimited, so as to make the dialogue between theory and practice constant. Thus first we present the issues that permeate the professional development of teachers and their multiple dimensions, emphasizing that, as a continuum, teacher education is constituted through critical reflection on practice and through the permanent (re)construction of personal identity. Consequently, these educational practices confer uniqueness to the teaching work, since they are delineated by various experiences, uncertainties and reflections. In a second step, these foundations are further discussed, bringing to light the constitution of different interdisciplinary practices conceived through some principles of epistemology of geosciences, of geoscience practices with an emphasis on field work; of the use of languages and representations; and of the establishment of museums and collections. Finally, we emphasize the importance of interdisciplinarity as an articulation tool for the teaching and learning process, stressing that interdisciplinary actions are constituted in the practice and experience of the subjects. In this context, interdisciplinary practices show themselves in different ways and numerous possibilities of teaching practice, sometimes integrating content and sometimes integrating the curriculum and the construction of knowledge. Such conceptions are consistent with the discourse of the educators, since the practices are established through different areas of knowledge, such as Environmental Education, the STS discussion, the History of Science, Geosciences, the area of expertise of each teacher etc.

O presente trabalho discute a inserção das geociências na prática pedagógica de seis formadores de professores, que carregam como características comuns a pós-graduação em Ensino e História de Ciências da Terra pelo Instituto de Geociências da Universidade Estadual de Campinas e a atuação em disciplinas de metodologias de ensino e/ou em disciplinas de estágios supervisionados. Assumimos como formadores de professores todos os profissionais envolvidos com o processo de docência de futuros professores, tais como: docentes de disciplinas pedagógicas, metodológicas, estágios supervisionados e de disciplinas específicas. O principal objetivo desta pesquisa é entender como as geociências estão difundindo-se na prática desses formadores. Para tanto, partimos do princípio de que a formação neste programa de pós-graduação, as experiências profissionais e as experiências pessoais propiciam o desenvolvimento e/ou a ressignificação de práticas interdisciplinares que carregam alguns fundamentos históricos, epistemológicos e teórico-metodológicos das geociências articulados à Educação Ambiental, ao enfoque da Ciência, Tecnologia e Sociedade (CTS) e à História da Ciência. Para entendermos como práticas, metodologias e concepções deste campo do saber imbricam-se na atuação docente, recorremos à história oral temática por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas buscando desvelar quais foram os caminhos percorridos para que as geociências fossem incorporadas e legitimadas no processo de desenvolvimento da atuação docente. Com o propósito de construir uma análise mais frutífera, tornando a interlocução mais clara, ao longo dos capítulos as discussões teóricas foram permeadas pelas falas dos formadores, ou seja, as análises das entrevistas foram realizadas juntamente com a bibliografia a respeito dos temas delimitados, de modo a tornar constante o diálogo entre teoria e prática. Dessa forma, apresentamos primeiramente, as questões que permeiam o desenvolvimento profissional docente e suas múltiplas dimensões, destacando que a formação docente enquanto continuum se constitui através da reflexão crítica sobre as práticas e da (re)construção permanente da identidade pessoal. Por conseguinte, essas práticas pedagógicas conferem à atuação docente singularidade, uma vez que são delineadas por diferentes vivências, incertezas, reflexões e experiências. Em um segundo momento, esses fundamentos são aprofundados, trazendo à tona a constituição de diferentes práticas interdisciplinares concebidas por meio de alguns princípios da epistemologia das geociências, das práticas geocientíficas com ênfase para os trabalhos de campo; da utilização das linguagens e representações; e da constituição dos museus e das coleções. Por fim, realçamos a importância da interdisciplinaridade enquanto ferramenta de articulação do processo de ensino e aprendizagem, salientando que a ação interdisciplinar se constitui na própria prática e vivência do sujeito. Nesse contexto, as práticas interdisciplinares desvelam-se de diferentes maneiras e em inúmeras possibilidades de atuação docente, algumas vezes integrando os conteúdos, outras integrando o currículo e a construção de conhecimento. Tais concepções vão ao encontro das falas dos formadores, visto que as práticas se estabelecem por meio de diferentes áreas do conhecimento, como a Educação Ambiental, a discussão CTS, a História da Ciência, as geociências, a própria área do conhecimento do docente etc. / This study discusses the inclusion of geoscience in the educational practice of six teacher educators, who have in common graduate education in Teaching and History of Earth Sciences at Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, and the work in disciplines of teaching methodologies and or in supervised internship courses. We consider teacher educators all the professionals involved in the teaching of future teachers, such as: teachers of educational and methodological disciplines, supervised internships, and specific disciplines. The main objective of this research is to understand how geosciences are disseminating in the practice of these educators. Therefore, we assume that training in this graduate program, professional experiences and personal experiences promote the development and or the reinterpretation of interdisciplinary practices that have some historical, epistemological and theoretical-methodological foundations of geosciences linked to Environmental Education, Science, Technology and Society (STS) approach and History of Science. To understand how practices, methodologies and concepts of this field of knowledge intertwine in teaching, we resort to thematic oral history through semi-structured interviews, seeking to uncover what paths have been taken so that geosciences were incorporated and legitimized in the development of teaching. In order to build a more fruitful analysis, making the interlocution clearer, throughout the chapters, the theoretical discussions have been permeated by the speeches of educators, that is, the analysis of the interviews was conducted along with the literature discussion on the topics delimited, so as to make the dialogue between theory and practice constant. Thus first we present the issues that permeate the professional development of teachers and their multiple dimensions, emphasizing that, as a continuum, teacher education is constituted through critical reflection on practice and through the permanent (re)construction of personal identity. Consequently, these educational practices confer uniqueness to the teaching work, since they are delineated by various experiences, uncertainties and reflections. In a second step, these foundations are further discussed, bringing to light the constitution of different interdisciplinary practices conceived through some principles of epistemology of geosciences, of geoscience practices with an emphasis on field work; of the use of languages and representations; and of the establishment of museums and collections. Finally, we emphasize the importance of interdisciplinarity as an articulation tool for the teaching and learning process, stressing that interdisciplinary actions are constituted in the practice and experience of the subjects. In this context, interdisciplinary practices show themselves in different ways and numerous possibilities of teaching practice, sometimes integrating content and sometimes integrating the curriculum and the construction of knowledge. Such conceptions are consistent with the discourse of the educators, since the practices are established through different areas of knowledge, such as Environmental Education, the STS discussion, the History of Science, Geosciences, the area of expertise of each teacher etc.

Forecasting eruptions using volcano seismology is a subject that affects the lives and property of millions of people around the world. However, there is still much to learn about the inner workings of volcanoes and how this relates to the chance of eruption. This dissertation attempts to increase the breadth of knowledge aimed at helping to understand when a volcano is likely to erupt and how large that eruption might be. Chapters 2 and 3 focus on a technique that uses changes in the local stress field beneath a volcano to determine the source of these changes and help forecast eruptions, while Chapter 4 focuses on a technique that shows great potential to be used to image magma chambers beneath volcanoes by using receiver functions. In Chapters 2 and 3 the source mechanisms of shallow volcano-tectonic earthquakes recorded at Mount St. Helens are investigated by calculating hypocenter locations and fault plane solutions (FPS) for shallow earthquakes recorded during two eruptive periods (1981-1986 and 2004-2008) and two non-eruptive periods (1987-2004 and 2008-2011). FPS show a mixture of normal, reverse, and strike-slip faulting during all periods, with a sharp increase in strike-slip faulting observed in 1987-1997 and an increase in normal faulting between 1998 and 2004 and again on September 25-29, 2004. FPS P-axis orientations (a proxy for ó1) show a ~90° rotation with respect to regional ó1 (N23°E) during 1981-1986 and 2004-2008, bimodal orientations (~N-S and ~E-W) during 1987-2004, and bimodal orientations at ~N-E and ~S-W from 2008-2011. These orientations are believed to be due to pressurization accompanying the shallow intrusion and subsequent eruption of magma as domes during 1981-1986 and 2004-2008, and the buildup of pore pressure beneath a shallow seismogenic volume during 1987-2004 and 2008-2011. Chapter 4 presents a study using receiver functions, which show the relative response of the Earth beneath a seismometer. Receiver functions are produced by deconvolving the vertical component of a seismogram from the horizontal components. The structure of the ground beneath the seismometer can then be inferred from the arrivals of P-to-S converted phases. Receiver functions were computed for the Katmai Volcanic Group, Alaska, at two seismic stations (KABU and KAKN) between January 2005 and July 2011. Receiver functions from station KABU clearly showed the arrival of the direct P-wave and the arrival from the Moho; however, receiver functions from station KAKN did not show the arrival from the Moho. In addition, changes in the amplitude and polarity of arrivals on receiver functions suggested that the structure beneath both KABU and KAKN was complex. Station KABU is likely underlain by dipping layers and/or anisotropy, while station KAKN may lie over a basin structure, an attenuating body, or some other highly complex structure. However, it is impossible to say for certain what the structure is under either station as the azimuthal coverage is poor and thus the structure is unable to be modeled. This dissertation also includes a section (Chapter 6) on the assessment of spreadsheet-based modules used in two Introductory Physical Geology courses at the University of South Florida (USF). When faculty at USF began using spreadsheet-based modules to help teach students math and geology concepts the students complained that they spent more time learning how to use Excel than they did learning the concepts presented in the modules. To determine whether the sharp learning curve for Excel was hindering learning we divided the students in two Introductory Physical Geology courses into two groups: one group was given a set of modules which instructed them to use Excel for all calculations; the other group was simply told to complete the calculations but was not instructed what method to use. The results of the study show that whether or not the students used Excel had very little to do with the level of learning they achieved. Despite complaints that Excel was hindering their learning, students in the study attained high gains for both the math and geology concepts presented in the modules whether they used Excel or not.

No description available.