Don't just read about science...do science!

Overview
 

GLOBE is science and education, not just science education. As a science and education program, GLOBE neither begins nor ends with data collection. Scientists collect data to gain understanding, and students can do the same. Teachers are encouraged to stimulate and reinforce their students' natural interest in their surroundings. Student interest can take form in questions that they want to answer, and taking data is part of addressing their questions. Recording, assembling, and analyzing data are a necessary part of the process leading to answers, new insights, and refined questions, and data reporting is essential for GLOBE implementation to give students an authentic science experience. Background information is provided in the various investigations to help place the measurements in a scientific context, and discussions and examples are provided on how to analyze the data. Learning activities are provided to help teachers prepare students to collect data, to aid students' understanding of the science associated with their measurements, and to support students' efforts to gain facility with various analysis techniques.

References are provided to Science Concepts and to Inquiry Abilities in both protocols and learning activities. These are intended to facilitate the process of integrating GLOBE into the curricula of classes, schools, and school systems. Teachers should choose those measurements and activities that help accomplish his or her instructional objectives. Indications of the appropriate levels for various items are included to assist teachers – primary (K- 4), middle (5 - 8), and secondary (9 - 12).

GLOBE provides materials and infrastructure to support students in carrying out the process of science, which is often called inquiry. First and foremost, GLOBE supplies the protocols and instrument specifications so that students can be assured that their measurements are valid observations of the environment and comparable with data collected by others around the world. In the GLOBE Teacher's Guide, background information is provided to place the measurements in a scientific context, and discussions and examples are given of how to analyze the data. Learning activities are provided to help teachers prepare students to collect data, to aid students' understanding of the science associated with their measurements, and to support students' efforts to gain facility with various analysis techniques.