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100%

                               Yes responses to
                               “In your most                                                       *
                     80%       recent introductory
                               course, did your                                              *
                               students...”                                *           *
                               All intro courses
                     60%         Earth science                                               *    *
                                    Geology                                            *
                                    Oceans
                                                                           *
                     40%                           *      *
                                             *
                                       *
                                              *     *     *
                                        *
                     20%
                           *
                            *

                     0%
                          Explore   Build   Make   Work on a  Address  Analyze  Collect   Address   Discuss a  Access   Describe  Describe   Address a
                          systems   predictive  systems  problem of  environ-  feedback  their own  uncertainty  change   and   quantita-  a system   problem
                          behavior  models  visible   interest to  mental   loops  data and  and   that has   integrate   tive   in terms   of national
                          using       through   the local   justice   analyze   ambiguity  multiple   info from   evidence  of its   or global
                          computer    causal   community issues  them to   when   effects   different   in support  parts and   interest
                          models      maps                   solve a   interpreting  throughout  sources  of an   relation-
                                                             problem  data  a system  argument ships
                    Figure 3. Histogram showing the use of aspects of scientific investigations for all introductory courses and for Earth sci-
                    ence, geology, and oceans courses. Asterisks indicate proportions that are significantly different (p < 0.05) between
                    discipline areas.

                      TABLE 2. FIFTEEN MOST COMMON TOPICS IN SYLLABI              In introductory geoscience courses, the
                  Geology            Earth science       Oceans                 results shown here suggest that a systems
                  Plate tectonics    Plate tectonics   Plate tectonics          approach is not taken. “Earth system” and
                  Earthquakes        Earthquakes         Waves                  “systems” are rarely mentioned in syllabi,
                  Igneous rocks      Igneous rocks    Ocean sediments           either as course topics or in learning out-
                  Minerals             Minerals           Tides
                  Sedimentary rocks   Sedimentary rocks   History of oceanography   comes; thus, these framing concepts are
                  Metamorphic rocks    Oceans         Ocean circulation         likely not apparent to students. While a
                  Volcanoes            Weather           Coasts                 majority of instructors indicate that they
                  Geologic time    Metamorphic rocks    Seawater                ask students to describe a system, only a
                  Streams             Volcanoes         Ocean life              small minority reach the higher-order
                  Weathering         Geologic time       Seafloor               skills such as analyzing feedback loops
                  Deformation          Streams            Water                 and using model-based experiments and
                  Glaciers           Groundwater      Ocean currents            reasoning, particularly in geology courses.
                  Earth’s interior   Solar system   Atmospheric circulation
                  Groundwater       Nature of science   Origin of the oceans      Systems thinking is an integral aspect
                  Resources          Atmosphere       Ocean pollution           of the NGSS, articulated in both the
                                                                                cross-cutting concepts and core ideas,
                                                                                but it is not fully realized in introductory
                                                                                geoscience courses, particularly geology.
          Adequacy at Preparing Teachers     understanding of complex systems over   Fortunately, early admonishments to
                                             time (Hmelo-Silver and Azevedo, 2006),   incorporate systems thinking have
          Earth-Systems Approach and Systems   and explicit instruction in complexity   evolved into a strong literature base
          Thinking                           concepts such as feedback loops    supporting specific practices that can
            Hallmarks of an Earth-systems    (Stillings, 2012) and systems dynamics   build students’ systems-thinking skills.
          approach in a learning environment   (Pallant and Lee, 2017). High school   Engaging with models helps students
          include the use of real-world problems   teachers should be able to support stu-  develop understanding of the complexity
          that integrate multiple disciplines   dents’ progress toward the PE that reads   of systems (e.g., Wu, 2010). And even
          (Holder et al., 2017), model-based rea-  “Use a model to describe how variations   more recently, curricular materials devel-
          soning by students (Pallant and Lee,   in the flow of energy into and out of   oped through the InTeGrate project
          2017; Stillings, 2012), scaffolds that    Earth’s systems result in changes in    (InTeGrate, 2017) have been made widely
          support students in developing their   climate” (NGSS Lead States, 2013).  available and shown to be effective at

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