Scientist-Educator Collaborative Workshop Workshop Concept Maps

Held at the University of Connecticut Avery Point Campus, Groton, CT Thursday, October 8, 2009 through Saturday, October 10, 2009

	View all workshop concept maps

Concept maps are designed to help teachers and their students understand the connections and relationships between climate and oceanography. For scientists, concept mapping helps them share their understanding of connections in the earth system. For educators, concept maps can be powerful tools for exposing and clarifying topics in the classroom.

This workshop centered on five teams of educators and scientists (1 scientist : 3 educators ratio) who created online learning resources that align with National Science Education Standards, Climate Literacy Principles, and Ocean Literacy Principles. Topics focused on the current research topics of the internationally known scientists who participated in the workshop, and each team created a series of concept maps consisting of the following:

• An original concept map created on paper by the scientists on day one of the workshop
• A digital concept map created in the COSEE Concept Map Builder and presented to educators on day two of the workshop
• A consensus concept map created collaboratively between scientists and educators using the COSEE-OS Concept Map Builder

Topics were:

• When marine grazers evolve resistance to toxins in prey, how could whole ecosystems be affected?
• What leads to the successful establishment of invasive species and what are the impacts?
• How does the movement of H₂O affect the movement of organisms in Long Island Sound?
• Where do POPs come from and where do they go in the coastal environment?
• Following river pollutant's path through the marine environment with computer models

Each team's concept maps are described on pages accessed from the menu at left, or click here to view and/or download all digital maps created at this workshop.

Watch a video of educator and children's book author Karen Romano Young discussing her ideas about using concept maps to "tell a story" after working with scientist Michael Whitney.