About Preparing K-12 Educators with a Holistic Reverse Engineering Approach to Exploring Planet Earth (Work in Progress)
| Authors | Halsmer, Dominic; Jacob, Chris; Kessler, Josiah; Marko, Jasmin |
|---|---|
| Date | 2022 |
| Conference | 2022 ASEE Midwest Section Conference |
| URL | https://peer.asee.org/preparing-k-12-educators-with-a-holistic-reverse-engineering-approach-to-exploring-planet-earth-work-in-progress |
Type: Conference Paper
Abstract
Engineering and education students assist in the development of a virtual lab experiment to test hypotheses about the origin and nature of planet Earth. It takes the form of a retrodictive thought experiment or reverse engineering project. The experiment is proposed for a general education earth and space sciences lab course which is regularly taken by future K-12 educators. This project satisfies accreditation requirements for both the College of Education and the School of Engineering. Education students require additional exposure to engineering concepts that they can subsequently take into the K-12 classroom [1]. Engineering students need practice in designing experiments and communicating effectively with a range of audiences [2]. In addition, appropriate content and limits are suggested for teaching at three possible educational levels: elementary, middle school, and high school. This virtual thought experiment [3] is part of a larger effort to develop a new lab manual for earth science courses that will include a variety of more holistic engineering-related lab experiments [4]. A novel feature of this experiment is its holistic approach to understanding the history and nature of Earth. Teacher candidates (and other undergraduate students) are required to investigate the processes by which the planet is thought to have arisen, and the natural laws that govern these processes. They explore the age of the earth and the measurements and calculations that feed into this conclusion, along with the conditions that have led to the evolution of biological complexity. They examine the relational features (affordances) of the Earth, its solar system, and the universe as a whole that result in such unique long-term habitability. But due to humanity’s historic tendency to posit a Creator for the Earth, they are also required to consider their own personal presuppositions and worldviews regarding these issues. In effect, they are putting their worldviews to the test by exploring and evaluating multiple versions of Earth’s origin story. In this sense, they venture beyond the limits of scientific knowledge to engage with other ways of knowing, and consider the philosophical implications of all the pertinent data. They are introduced to the methodology of reverse engineering and how this approach might be justified in light of the data. They are encouraged to explore the ways in which seemingly contentious scientific and religious aspects might be reconciled. Finally, they are confronted with the current climate crisis, and other sobering environmental issues, and asked to apply principles of good stewardship in determining a preferable path into the future.