A Case Study of Highly-Engaged Educators' Integration of Real-Time Seismic Data in Secondary Classrooms

Abstract

The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Seismographs in Schools (SIS) program has supported teachers in the use of educational seismometers and real-time seismic data in the classroom for the past 20 years. To better understand how the seismographs and seismic data are being used in the classroom, we sent a survey to 770 past or current program participants. The survey asked about their seismometer, seismic data use, software use, the impact of seismic data on their classroom, and what additional seismology-related resources or instruction they provide to their students. Four highly-engaged teachers were then recruited from this larger pool for a case study. The purpose of this study was to better understand these highly-engaged teachers, their experiences with seismic instrumentation, software, and data in the classroom, how and to what degree seismic data has impacted their curriculum and instruction, and their perceptions of the impact of the SIS program on their students' understanding of Earth Science concepts. The case study results show that each of the highly-engaged teachers values data driven instruction, instrument science, and the integration of seismic data into the classroom more than just during their earthquake units. They have made it part of everyday class activities by having students be aware of data coming in, noting earthquakes in the news, and helping students learn more about analyzing data for advanced investigations. While there were differences in their implementations, in all cases a critical feature of their engagement with students was use of a variety of seismology-related resources which connected the seismic data to the rest of the curriculum. Thus, the use of seismic data was just one component of their seismology-related teaching. This study also highlights the value of a local sensor, as all four highly-engaged teachers stressed that students as stewards of the seismometer linked them to the science in an engaging and dynamic way. Thus, while the highly-engaged teachers had a primary responsibility to promote learning, their focus on student engagement is also helping to create young citizen scientists.