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21 

 Education/ Communication 



FORMAL EDUCATION - A major change in what we know about how people 

 learn, especially how people learn science, has occurred in two decades. How, 

 what, and why we teach science and mathematics, therefore, must be 

 reconceptualized. The purpose of education is to empower learners to make 

 meaning, in contrast to memorizing a multitude of disconnected facts. What 

 an individual knows about a topic influences the meaning he/she can make of 

 new information. Abstract concepts must be put in the context of experiences 

 with which the learner is familiar. Further, learners cannot be given concepts. 

 They must construct concepts for themselves. Instructional strategies, 

 subsequently, need to focus on learning, rather than on teaching, as 

 transmitting information. Further, the target audience for science education is 

 all Americans, in contrast to science for the elite. Mathematics educators are 

 calling for mathematical literacy for all, and technology educators are 

 speaking of technology education for all instead of limiting it to students 

 bound for the workplace from grade 12. The revolution in science education 

 requires the study of the interactions of science and technology, a 

 transdisciplinary approach. 



The oceans have an aesthetic appeal to humans and the study of oceanography 

 is inherently interdisciplinary. The oceanographic community has an 

 opportunity to make the oceans a major context in which to study the 

 interactions of science, technology, and society, from which to learn basic 

 science and mathematical concepts. 



Partnerships between oceanographers and educators with current perspectives 

 on learning are necessary. There are reciprocal benefits between the two 

 cultures, oceanography and education. The former focuses on generating new 

 knowledge about the oceans. The latter focuses on tying pieces of information 

 into a whole picture that can be made relevant to other scientists and to non- 

 scientists. Together they can develop new courses. 



Oceanography is an ideal platform for education, focusing on the interaction 

 of forces and processes across a palette of disciplines, including biology, 

 chemistry, physics and geology. The oceans are also a wonderful arena for 

 applying concepts in mathematics (everything from the algebra of determining 

 salinity, to the calculus of ocean currents). There are a handful of initiatives 

 throughout the country attempting to build curricula along these lines. The 

 formal educational community (including all components from kindergarten 

 through graduate school) would realize immediate benefit from partnering 

 through the establishment of oceanography-specific coalitions of educators. 



