Geoscience for Teachers, Preliminary Edition

We live on a unique planet that is an awesome place, and it is even more awesome to think about how we got here. Yet, despite the awe and reverence that we should have for this place that we all call home, the typical person knows very litt le about his/her planetary home and the processes that allow it to exist as it does. This ignorance about our planet, as well as about our place on this planet, is now challenging the quality of our long-term presence on this planet, as humanity facies a growing number of crises related to global warming, pollution, resource management, and various hazards. An extremely important way by which humanity has dealt with similar problems in the past is through the education of each other. Yet, education about the way our planet functions, also known as Geology or Earth Sciences, is relatively uncommon in pre-college schools, and many of our environmental problems are largely rooted in geologic principles that will require some understanding by all humans for future resolution. In addition, this kind of education should begin a pre-K levels and continue throughout college. Yet, many pre-college teachers lack the background and basic content knowledge needed to teach geologic principles effectively and do not consider themselves to be “scientific” people. 

We believe that a first step in approaching this educational problem is developing a textbook that treats geologic processes in a simpler, more ordered way that students without much scientific background can easily grasp. It is my goal in this book to produce a series of short chapters that approach geologic processes in a systemic way that is always apparent throughout the book. Moreover, because this is a book intended for use by pre-service and in-service, elementary- and middle-school teachers, the book is put together based on national teaching standards and some of the latest research regarding how students perceive information in textbooks; other educational tools for understanding and presentation are provided throughout the text. I appreciate Kendall Hunt’s willingness to take on this kind of experimental text in the hope that it enhances the understanding of our awesome planet