About:

This course is designed to introduce students from all oceanographic disciplines to instructional strategies for communicating their knowledge and passion for ocean science. The main goal of the course is to help scientists to more effectively communicate their subject and research to students and the public. Through a series of 2-hr class sessions, participants will get experience with instructional techniques and materials that illustrate current best practices in inquiry-based teaching. For the ‘field’ component, pairs of students will select an ocean science unit (and kit) that they will teach in an elementary classroom at our local Mullen-Hall School. Each pair will spend 6 weeks (1 to 2 hours/week), working side-by-side with a teacher, exploring inquiry-based ocean science content with children. The final project will be to prepare an undergraduate-level teaching session on a topic of choice.

The course curriculum is based on the Communicating Ocean Sciences Course developed at the University of California Berkeley in collaboration with California Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE), using Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) and Marine Activities, Resources & Education (MARE) educational tools. It has been tailored specifically for JP graduate students, and will include strategies useful for teaching at all levels.

Contacts:
Instructor: Lauren Mullineaux
TA: Ari Shapiro