COSEE-OS has completed its initial rounds of the educational resource review process using teams that each included a scientist, a classroom teacher, and an informal educator. Teachers were asked to describe what they look for when they are searching for lesson activities. The important elements the teachers focused on included cost, safety / age appropriateness, ease of implementation, and availability of solid background knowledge.
The consensus from the teachers is that they prefer to modify or adapt a resource to their specific needs rather than using resources "as is." Educators noted that they are becoming savvier at "assembling" their courses using technology - including electronic notebooks - to coalesce resources from multiple origins. With this "teacher assembly" model in mind, COSEE-OS is optimizing modular and flexible access to its multimedia materials. Futhermore, all "COSEE-OS Recommends" resources will include extensive background material as well as information on "common pre-conceptions." Concept-centered overview videos will be offered along with relevant and up-to-date " Oceans in the News" articles.
In addition to showcasing excellent concept-centered resources for educators, COSEE-OS is compiling a "Gap Analysis" of resources that educators need to understand the ocean-climate system based on concepts from the COSEE–OS ocean-climate maps. One outcome of this "Gap Analysis" is to help science researchers better address "Broader Impact" requirements on NSF proposals.
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