Meeting Abstract
Since 1972, students at Project Oceanology have been getting their hands wet and their feet muddy while learning about marine science. This type of hands-on education is always valuable and memorable for students, but is it enough? The arrival in Connecticut of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a new and innovative set of K-12 science education standards, have prompted Project Oceanology to re-evaluate and revise its curriculum for the first time in decades. I’ll discuss how we found ways to engage students more deeply in scientific practices and transfer the ownership of the learning process over to the students, even given the logistical constraints of teaching on a working research vessel. I’ll also provide a college professor’s perspective: what can college-level educators learn from NGSS? How will NGSS change the way incoming college students have been educated, and how could lessons from NGSS be applied in college-level classrooms?
