Park Ranger/Education Program Manager Roxi Farwell
PARK Teachers Geology Interview transcription
December 2018

I have had the pleasure for twelve years of working in partnership with professors from San Francisco State University (SFSU) to bring their secondary science teaching credential candidates to the Marin Headlands for a day of scientific inquiry. Larry Horvath embeds the value of place-based pedagogy in his excellent course work, so I am meeting candidates already thinking specifically in these terms but not necessarily about the national park next door. Our most basic goals for our partnership are twofold: Introduce SFSU candidates to inquiry place-based learning through the lens of geologic concepts, and reinforce that they leave with the recognition that they have access to all these resources – the park, the ranger education staff, and curricula - for their students.
One of the challenges of this particular partnership is that I am working with secondary science candidates from a variety of science backgrounds.  They tend to be mostly biology or chemistry or physics teachers, and only on a rare occasion, earth science. Often, they have not studied much geology in their own course work. There also will be a wide variety of students they will be serving, not specifically in a geology course of study. We also will have participants in the workshop who may be student teaching or maybe some who have never been in a classroom. This makes for a diverse set of needs for the workshop. How do I create and offer tools of scientific inquiry they can transfer to their own subject and infuse into their classroom?
 I open the workshop with a series of photographs that help us focus on the Essential Question for the day – How do I recognize geologic change in my environment?. Since we are meeting at Rodeo Beach near the shoreline, I often use photographs that invoke this type of landscape but not the exact place we are. We ask the participants to consider – What do you see? What changes do you notice? What do you think?. This basic “see, think, wonder” exercise engages all participants no matter their subject or teaching level. It is a very open ended and easy way to initiate the discussion to get us thinking and talking about changing landscapes, and the essential question. I also select photographs that are going to surprise them so they may be questioning their assumptions along the way.
Consistently, SFSU candidates comment on how difficult it is for them to bring to life Earth Science in the classroom. The Marin Headlands, so close to their schools and neighborhoods, happens to be the epicenter of the development of the theory of plate tectonics in the United States. Look at any college level textbook from around the world explaining tectonic plates and you will see photographs that feature the Marin Headlands. My job as the education manager is to share the “so what” of this incredible location – the perfect place, in fact, to authentically tackle this subject.
So, how do I bring the focus of what a geologist can see in a landscape to teachers and students alike? How can we visually illustrate geologic time in an accessible way? This is really a challenge for younger audiences, for the younger you are, the more difficult it is to incorporate and assess the landscape that you see. This challenge led my colleague Trina Kvale and me to develop the idea of using a simple transparency to visualize geologic time and the dynamic environment around us. She was a wonderful artist and could clearly draw the geologic features on the transparency to highlight rock formations, erosion over time, rising sea levels, and other geologic patterns.  As students view the landscape through different time-related transparencies, they become curious and begin to formulate observations and questions. The transparencies, which we call Magic Windows, aid the students in imagining the environment in geologic time, and they ignite a lively exchange focused on the Essential Question. It is a simple transparency but it does the job. And, Magic Windows work really well with middle school, high school, and adults. (Please see the Teaching Tool Box web page for an essay about the Magic Windows for more information and how to create one.)
The fun part about developing these types of teaching tools is to start with the idea that you might think you know what you are looking at but you actually might be surprised. I like to design an inquiry that is enjoyable and includes some whimsy. Over the years, we have created and revised a series of inquiry learning activities that demystify a topic that so many teachers and students find intimidating. We begin with an interactive review of fundamental vocabulary – I Have, Who Has – which introduces participants to key concepts. This exercise fulfills the purpose of having everyone start with a common knowledge of terms and concepts. Students can become comfortable and familiar with geologic processes in a group interaction. (See cards and instructions in file.) 
Our lesson on rock identification prompts students to choose a favorite rock of the Franciscan Formation. They examine, question, and create a humorous commercial championing their rock’s virtues. The Magic Windows help us to describe the landscape we see. These lessons offer independent and collaborative learning. There is something for everyone.  All these inquiries lead to more questions and that is the nature of being a geologist or a scientist.
I believe that the partnership with SFSU has helped me grow as an education ranger. I can commiserate with the credential candidates because I remember being in that position early in my own career as a classroom teacher before I joined the NPS. It has been so fulfilling for me to work with candidates and learn about their fears, aspirations, and commitments as they begin to enter the classroom. I broaden my own perspective as I have the chance to meet and facilitate lessons with college level students. I deepen my own understanding of what teachers will need from our Parks As Classrooms programs here in the park. At the same time, I hear from workshop participants that our program offers a similar valuable experience for their professional development because our workshop blends content and open inquiry in innovative and engaging ways. Each year at least a couple of participants return with their students to our middle school geology program - Rocks on the Move.
Through our partnership with Larry Horvath and SFSU, we have connected with dozens of teachers in their first year of teaching. When we initiated the program about fifteen years ago, credential candidates expressed fear of taking a class to the outdoors. Today, teachers express a willingness and curiosity for different learning venues instead of the hesitancy I used to observe. I don’t have “to sell” place-based scientific inquiry. Now it seems natural for students to be in the park and see the park as their extended community and feel comfortable. It seems natural to offer a learning experience for a student who may not shine in the classroom but might really shine in the park. Thanks to Larry and the educators we partner with it now seems just as natural for NPS park rangers to be in the classroom along-side professors and teachers.