Annual Report 2012: FY July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012
Youth Educational Activities Committee
The Committee will strive to increase the knowledge and appreciation of geoscience among students and teachers. The Committee plans to expand participation in the Rocks in Your Head program through increased funding from the AAPG Foundation. The Committee manages the Earth Science Teacher of the Year Award and Teachers' Days at national and Section meetings. The Committee assists and coordinates earth science and energy programs of national youth organizations, such a Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and 4H. The committee coordinates these activities with other earth science organizations, such as AGI.
The Youth Educational Activities Committee serves the youth of today and helps to support the development of the next generation of geoscientists by enhancing the quality of Earth Science teaching in the Middle and High School environment. The committee members strive to increase the knowledge and appreciation of the geosciences among the teaching community and thereby improving the understanding of their students. We do this by expanding and vetting K-12 programs, which AAPG members then can support with the confidence, that these programs are both effective pedagogically and scientifically correct. This is accomplished by having teachers and geoscientists work together to develop hands-on lab activities, which demonstrate the scientific concepts, which are required to be taught by each state’s educational standards. Committee efforts are also focuses on the Earth Science Teacher of the Year Award and Teachers’ training programs at the national and sectional meetings.
Goals for 2012-2013
- The YEA committee is committed to vetting a cross-section of existing programs, which meet the standards of being pedagogically effective and scientifically correct, and easily understandable and usable in a classroom setting to demonstrate the concepts being taught to Middle and High School students. A preferred program, entitled “Enhancing the Quality of Earth Science Teaching”, is based on Owen Hopkins’ “Maps in Schools” program which uses the USGS Tapestry of Time and Terrain map as a common thread to teach basic Earth Science concepts.
- Expand the availability of the “AAPG Earth Science Kit”, which was developed by Lab-Aids for AAPG’s use. This kit contains four, vetted lab experiments which demonstrate important Earth Science concepts. It is available for $67 per kit and can be sponsored by AAPG’s local societies for nearby schools, or be bought for teachers who attend a training program offered at the Annual or Sectional meetings of AAPG.
- Realize the long-term goal of uniting/coordinating the efforts of the various K-12 programs of our sister societies, such as SEG, AGI and GSA.
- Expand the number of Teacher Training Programs offered per year, beyond those offered at the AAPG’s Annual and Sectional meetings, such as the meeting of the Science Teachers’ Association of Texas where hundreds of earth science teachers attend, and groups like the National Earth Science Teachers Association and its state affiliates. Through the YEA’s vetting of acceptable programs, AAPG Sections, Regions and local societies can select programs to be used in their venues that best fit their needs.
- We have expanded the YEA’s committee’s responsibility to K-14, to include the two years of Community College experience, where a gap was recognized.
Earth Science Teacher of the Year Award
Jonna Gentry, from Green Mountain High School in Lakewood, Colorado, is the 2012 Teacher of the Year awardee. A growing number of candidates are being submitted, but our goal is to have nominees from each AAPG Section. To support this expansion, each local society should commit to nominating local candidates for consideration at the Section level. Local societies refer to the new calendar for submissions found at the AAPG Foundation website. The YEA committee is also working on ways to recognize Earth Science teachers from around the world, nominated through the AAPG Regions.
Support for Scouting
The YEA encourages AAPG members to get involved in Scouting (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Campfire, 4-H, etc.) by helping scouts in outreach programs learn about Geology through earning belt loops, merit badges, etc. in subjects related to the geosciences.
This involvement can include staffing annual outreach events such as Dinosaur Ridge and national jamborees.
Lyle F. Baie, Chair
Committee members: Chuck Caughey, Norm Cygan, Laura Zahm, Lee Billingsley, Eleanour Snow, Don Lewis, Joan Crockett, Denise Cox, Alison Henning, Peter MacKenzie, Richard Ball, Gary Robinson, John Stout, Doug Ratcliff, Eric Radjef, Nina Rach, Jim Puckette, Robert Krantz, William Houston, Paul Henshaw, Inda Immega, Rebecca Dodge, Norm Hyne Stef Paramoure (2010 TOTY), Sharon Milito (2011 TOTY), Jonna Gentry (2012 TOTY).