Earthquakes; what are they and what causes them?

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What do our students really know about geophysics?
Engage
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What are earthquakes? What causes them?

• A summary of student conceptions of earthquakes
  and other underpinning topics as informed by 30
  years of research

Michael Hubenthal, Senior Education Specialist
July, 2011 v2.0
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What are some of your students ideas about Eqs?
Explore
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Student Understandings

• Children develop their own non-scientific
  explanations of events, prior to instruction
  (e.g. Ault, 1982, 1984, 1994)
• Can express scientifically accurate statements
  while also holding misconceptions ( e.g. Cohen
  Kagan, 1979)
• Can recite correct definitions with no
  understanding (e.g. Haz et al, 1987)
• Understanding description and explanation
  (Newton, 2000)

Explain
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Challenges to conceptual understanding in the
geosciences
(Piaget, 1929)
(Ault, 1984)
Explain
( Blake, 2005)
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What is an EQ? - Young students
(Ross and Shuell, 1991 Sharpe et al., 1995)
(Tsai, 2001)
Explain
(Leather, 1987 Sharpe et al., 1995)
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What is an EQ? gtage 14
Explain
(Barrow Haskings, 1996 DeLaughter et al.,
1998 Libarkin et al., 2005)
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Location of EQs
Explain
Leather, 1987 Shapre et al., 1995
Philips, 1991 Schoon, 1992
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Tectonic Plates
Explain
Nottis, 1995 Marques Thompson, 1997 Libarkin
et al, 2005
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Sharpe et al., 1995
DeLaughter et al., 1998 Libarkin et al., 2005
Lillo, 1994
Explain
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Why is sizing this up important?
Elaborate
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Making waves into your classroom
Elaborate
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?
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• Alternative or shallow conceptions exists despite
  instruction (e.g. Marques Thompson, 1997)
• Across a huge span of ages middle school through
  undergraduates (e.g. Barrow and Haskings, 1996
  Libarkin et al, 2005)

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• Strategies for addressing alternative conceptions
  do exist.
• drawings provide excellent opportunities for
  students to express their conceptual
  understanding, subsequent classroom discussion,
  one-on-one conversation, in-class questions
• Evidence that alternative approaches to
  traditional geophysics instruction can be
  effective (Steer et al, 2005)

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The good news
We have some evidence that alternative
instruction can overcome these misconceptions
Steer et al, 2005 Relative thicknesses of
Earths chemical boundaries.