The importance of active education in the teaching - learning of Earth Sciences: models, tools, experiences

Susanna Occhipinti (a,b)
(a) SIT Innocenti Manzetti Aosta – Chatillon; Didattica delle scienze sperimentali, educazione ambientale Assessorato Istruzione e Cultura Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta. Corresponding e-mail: susanna.occhipinti@unicam.it (b) UNICAMearth group, School of Science and Technology, University of Camerino.

The aim of this work was to find models and guidelines to produce tools and paths to support the process of active teaching-learning of geosciences in school, and to make it more effective. Sets of activities produced during this project have been experimented in a significant sample of classes of different levels of education in the Valle d'Aosta region, Italy. The laboratory activities produced arose from a careful research of pedagogical activities and education approaches. All the didactic activities have been collected in a freely downloadable booklet, to make all the materials available to the teachers. The more general aim of this project was to build a network of schools, teachers and institutions to promote the dissemination of the culture of Earth Sciences.

active science education, problem-based teaching-learning, models and tools.