Annual Meeting - SCEC.org

K-12 Education Partnerships and Activities
SCEC CEO Director | Report
Partnerships with Science Education Advocacy Groups and Organizations with Similar
Missions. SCEC is an active participant in the broader earth science education community
including participation in organizations such as the National Association of Geoscience Teachers,
The Coalition for Earth System Education, and local and national science educator organizations
(e.g. NSTA). Improvement in the teaching and learning about earthquakes hinges on improvement
in earth science education in general. Hence, SCEC wherever possible contributes to the
community through participation on outreach committees, co-hosting meetings or workshops, and
building long-term partnerships. An example of a current project is a partnership with EarthScope
to host a San Andreas fault workshop for park and museum interpreters that will be held in Spring
2009.
Teacher Workshops. SCEC offers teachers 2-3 professional
development workshops each year. The workshops provide
a connection between developers of earthquake education
resources and those who use these resources in the
classroom. The workshops include: content and pedagogical
instruction; ties to national and state science education
standards; and materials teachers can take back to their
classrooms Workshops are offered concurrent with SCEC
meetings, at National Science Teachers Association annual
meetings, and at USC. In 2003 SCEC began a partnership
with the SIO Visualization Center to develop teacher
workshops. Facilities at the Visualization Center include a wall-sized curved panorama screen
(over 10m wide).
Sally Ride Science Festivals. Attended by over 1000 middle school (grades 5–8) age girls at each
venue, Sally Ride Science Festivals offer a festive day of activities, lectures, and social activities
emphasizing careers in science and engineering. Since 2003 SCEC has presented workshops for
adults and students and participated in the Festival’s “street fair,” a popular venue for hands-on
materials and science activities. At the street fair SCEC demonstrates key concepts of earthquake
science and provides copies of Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country. The workshops,
presented by female members of the SCEC community share the excitement and the many career
opportunities in the Earth sciences.
National Science Teachers Association and California Science Teachers Association.
Earthquake concepts are found in national and state standards documents. SCEC participates in
national conferences to promote innovative earthquake education in all states. Earthquake related
content comprises the bulk of the six grade earth science curriculum in California. SCEC has a dual
responsibility to communicate the science and the preparedness and one of the best venues for this
effort are the statewide science educator conferences.
USC Science Education Collaborative. Since 2003, SCEC has greatly increased engagement with
the inner-city neighborhoods around USC to form various partnerships in order to improve science
education and increase earthquake awareness in the local community. One of these partnerships is
with USC's Joint Education Project (JEP), which sends USC students into local schools to teach
eight one-hour lessons pertaining to what they are learning in their classes. SCEC, in partnership
with the USC department of Earth Sciences, now provides educational resources to JEP students in
several earth-science courses, and trains the students how to use the resources in their lessons.
2008 SCEC Annual Meeting | 39