| Summary: | During the past two decades, evidence has been mounting in favour of the theory of plate tectonics. At the present time, the earth science sections of the junior secondary school science curriculum prescribed by the British Columbia Ministry of Education are deficient in information relating to this theory. The present curriculum is also deficient in examples and explanations of the earth sciences as they relate specifically to British Columbia.
This thesis attempts to rectify a need perceived by the author, the B.C. Ministry of Education, and Prentice-Hall of Canada Ltd. for a new earth science program, by proposing a revised curriculum incorporating plate tectonic theory, and based firmly upon B.C. regional phenomena. The revision is designed in such a way that it may be put to immediate use by a practising classroom teacher. With the aid of the supplementary Teachers' Guide, even an inexperienced teacher with minimal knowledge of earth science would probably be able to implement the proposed curriculum successfully.
The proposed curriculum is divided into two parts. The first of these, intended for students in Grade 8, covers the gradational aspects of geology. The second part, suitable for grade 10 students, covers diastrophism, volcanism, plate tectonics, and earth history. Brief excursions are made into mapping, rock and mineral identification, and paleontology. In both parts, the teaching method used is that of "guided discovery", involving a mixture of student laboratory exercises and demonstrations, supplemented by informational narratives.
The proposed curriculum contains a number of elements unique to the teaching of earth science,. These range from the application of new strategies to the teaching of well known topics, to the inclusion of material not found in any presently existing earth science curriculum. In the latter case, much of this material has been so recently discovered that it has not yet found its way into junior secondary curricula, or is of such strong B.C. regional interest so as to preclude its inclusion in curricula intended for Canadian national or North American continental usage.
Early drafts of the proposed curriculum were classroom tested by a number of practising teachers in several junior secondary schools over a period of two years. The results of this extensive testing were incorporated into the present form of the proposed curriculum. In conclusion, it appears that this proposed earth science curriculum is suitable for students in grades 8 and 10 of the British Columbia school system. === Education, Faculty of === Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of === Graduate
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