Funding Proposal: Historical Case Study Development for Teaching Geoscience Concepts
Funding Proposal: Historical Case Study Development for Teaching Geoscience Concepts
Applicant: Dr. Glenn Dolphin, Instructor & Tamaratt Chair, (Geoscience)
Co-applicant: Dr. Wendy Benoit, Instructor, (Chemistry & Natural Science Program)
Geoscience Case Study Development Project
The goal of this project is to develop four historic case studies of scientists and/or breakthroughs in geoscience understanding. These case studies will be used in SCIE 331, the required science content course for B.Ed. students at the University of Calgary. The focus of this class is to help pre-service elementary teachers build an understanding of core concepts in science and the Nature of Science NoS. The historic case studies developed through this project will fit directly with the goals of SCIE 331, creating a meaningful and engaging contextual framework. We will also conduct an evaluation of the case studies in regards to their effectiveness in student understanding of the course content and use the results to improve the product.
Why Case Studies?
Literature suggests that students continue to maintain concepts differing from scientific explanations even after formal instruction (Sibley, 2005). Case studies have been used successfully in business schools, medical schools and law schools (Williams, 1992). Recently, some (Allchin, 2011a; Herreid, 2007) have promoted using cases as a pedagogical tool for teaching science. Reports have been quite favorable toward a case-based approach to instruction; making science relevant to students (Dinan, 2005), enhancing critical thinking skills (Yadav & Beckerman, 2009), adding to instructors’ pedagogical repertoire (Hodges, 2005), promoting students’ active participation (Camill, 2006), and developing students’ nature of science (NoS) understandings (Stinner, McMillan, Metz, & Klassen, 2003).
Project Details
The project will entail the design, implementation, and evaluation of four case studies over two years. Two student researchers (per year) will research particular scientists or breakthroughs in geoscience understanding and develop a story around this focal point (Allchin, 2013) such that students engaged in the case study will encounter science knowledge in a contextualized fashion that will help them develop stronger and more enduring understandings (Herreid, 2007). Modification and enhancement of the case studies will take place based on the analysis of data collected throughout the implementation phase of this project.
Project Timeline, Methodology, and Student Guidance
Student researchers (RAs) will be hired each summer (2014 and 2015) to develop case studies through the fall terms. We will work collaboratively with the RAs to ensure they receive appropriate supervision and feedback. Under our supervision, they will follow the Allchin (2013) outline for case development.
- Select a concept
- Find high quality historical sources
- Identify important NoS features
- Contextualize the scientific problem
- Contextualize the problem solving
- Profile the solution’s historical reception
- Highlight the specific facets of NoS
- Enhance with cultural/contemporary context
- Develop way to evaluate student learning
RAs will receive a book by Allchin (2013), entitled, Teaching the Nature of Science. This book outlines important facets of the nature of science as well as how to develop historical case studies in science within the context of these facets. Allchin has also shared with us a timeline that gives structure to student case building within a single semester (a copy of his schedule is available upon request). We will meet weekly as a group to discuss each chapter (read independently by each student researcher) and how the facets emphasized influence the development of the individual cases. The applicants will also be available on an individual basis, as needed for student guidance and support.
Evaluation of the cases will take place in each subsequent winter term in Dr. Benoit’s SCIE 331 class, where student researchers will participate in the cases and revisions can be made to enhance efficacy.
Building the Geoscience Case Study Library
We have extensive experience developing and using teaching strategies such as case studies. Dr. Dolphin has spent fifteen years enhancing his teaching by utilizing recent advancements in model-based learning and the history and philosophy of science (HPS). He has created HPS-rich curricula documenting the development of the theory of plate tectonics (Dolphin, 2009) and is now expanding this effort to develop new case studies to be utilized for teaching other geoscience concepts. Dr. Benoit has used case studies in her multidisciplinary science courses for the past seven years. She knows the value of contextual framework case studies, which have given her a strategy for illustrating discipline-specific scientific findings while also highlighting features common to scientific investigations across disciplines.
We see great potential for application of these case studies by other educators and in different courses, both locally and in the broader Geoscience community. Our student researchers will have the opportunity to publish the cases in journals such as The Journal of Geoscience Education, whereas Dr. Benoit and Dr. Dolphin will develop reports of implementation and student experiences to be submitted to such journals as Science Education, Science & Education, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, and Journal of Science Teacher Education.
Currently, three libraries of science case studies contain only twenty earth science cases (out of a total of 600). This is a niche the applicants hope to begin to fill. This project will result in a concrete product of case studies that other instructors in the department, other departments and even at other universities, can utilize for teaching the geoscience and NoS concepts emphasized in each case; allowing for the continuation of the project even after funding has stopped.
Documentation of Student Researcher Experiences and Case Study Evaluation
We will structure our research project surrounding the development and refinement of the historical case studies utilizing Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodologies (MacDonald, 2012). Here, RAs have full participation within the study by helping to develop protocols, analyze data, and reflect critically on their own learning. Through the use of small focus groups, interviews, and personal logs of the RAs, we can develop understanding for the content and NoS learning that the RAs experience during their work with the project. We will operationalize NoS from Allchin’s (2013) table 1.3 “Summary of main areas of scientific understanding for functional scientific literacy”, and Allchin’s (2011b) table 2 “Dimensions of reliability in science”; the latter being used to inform NoS dimensions of the case studies.
We and available RAs will observe SCIE 311 students as they engage in the case studies, to gain understanding of the efficacy of each case and make appropriate changes, if needed. Evaluation of impact of the cases on student learning will utilize survey instruments, such as the Geoscience Concept Inventory (GCI) and Misconceptions-Oriented Standards-Based Assessment Resources for Teachers (MOSART), student work, and formative assessment practices. We will also document their experiences as they (1) guide the student researchers through the case-building process, (2) observe students engaged in the case study implementation, and (3) amend the cases in light of observed student conceptual development.
Project Budget
Student Researchers (2) Fall 2014 $10,000
Student Researchers (2) Fall 2015 $10,000
Total $20,000*
*The entire grant will be awarded to students for the work they produce. The applicant has other funding to supplement extra costs for any necessary books, copying, and potential (limited) travel.
Disseminating the Results
We will ensure the final products are made available in science case study libraries that are accessible to the higher education science community. We will also utilize science department meetings, the Faculty of Science’s Science Teaching Forum, and other appropriate vehicles to communicate the availability of the cases. A report to the Teaching and Learning Grant Program will include the structure of the design and development phase of the case studies as well as description of case study implementation and amendment process phase.
References
Allchin, D. (2011a). The Minnesota case study collection: New historical inquiry case studies for nature of science education. Science & Education, Published on-line http://www.springerlink.com/content/v42561276210585q/(accessed 1 March 2012), 1-19.
Allchin, D. (2011b). Evaluating Knowledge of the Nature of (Whole) Science. Science Education, 95(3), 518-542.
Allchin, D. (2013). Teaching the nature of science: Perspectives & resources. Saint Paul, Minnesota: SHiPS Education Press.
Camill, P. (2006). Case Studies Add Value to a Diverse Teaching Portfolio in Science Courses. Journal of College Science Teaching, 36(2), 31-37.
Dinan, F. J. (2005). Laboratory Based Case Studies: Closer to the Real World. Journal of College Science Teaching, 35(2), 27.
Dolphin, G. (2009). Evolution of the Theory of the Earth: A Contextualized Approach for Teaching the History of the Theory of Plate Tectonics to Ninth Grade Students. Science education, 18(3-4), 425.
Herreid, C. F. (2007). Start with a Story: The Case Study Method of Teaching College Science. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
Hodges, L. C. (2005). From problem-based learning to interrupted lecture: Using case-based teaching in different class formats. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 33(2), 101-104.
MacDonald, C. (2012). Understanding participatory action research: A qualitative research methodology option. Canadian Journal of Action Research, 13(2), 34-50.
Sibley, D. F. (2005). Visual Abilities and Misconceptions About Plate Tectonics. Journal of Geoscience Education, 53(4), 471-477.
Stinner, A., McMillan, B. A., Metz, D., Jana M., & Klassen, S. (2003). The renewal of case studies in science education. Science & Education, 12, 617-643.
Williams, S. M. (1992). Putting case-based instruction into context: Examples from legal and medical education. The Journal of the Learning Science, 2(4), 367-427.
Yadav, A., & Beckerman, J. L. (2009). Implementing Case Studies in a Plant Pathology Course: Impact on Student Learning and Engagement. Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education, 38, 50-55.
