 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
| Geoscience Education is less well developed than other fields of science education such as physics, biology and chemistry. In order to strengthen the field, educators at all levels and from multiple disciplines, in both informal and formal contexts, need to collaborate to improve practice, pedagogy, curriculum development, and research.
The International Geosciences Education Organisation (IGEO), an affiliate to the IUGS (International Union of Geological Sciences), is the largest international organisation dedicated to addressing the above issues. The society holds conferences every four years interspersed with sessions during the International Geological Congresses.
The South African organising committee invites participation in the Sixth International Geoscience Education Conference (GeoSciEd VI) in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010 with the theme:
"Geoscience Education - Developing the World" |
|
South Africa, as one of the world's successful developing nations, is a natural choice for this conference, and is a sought-after travel destination for professionals and tourists. We look forward to seeing you in Johannesburg - also known as Egoli - the City of Gold.
Our Theme
We live in an age of unprecedented prosperity, with developing nations entering a period of growth to increase living standards to the level of the developed world. This growth will require development on an enormous scale, and will be fuelled by increasing and more efficient use of resources and mineral wealth.
Simultaneously, there is increasing global awareness that the environmental effects of exploitation such as environmental degradation, natural hazards, climate change, pollution, and loss of natural beauty must be minimised or eliminated. At the same time non-renewable mineral resources are becoming more difficult to locate in sufficient quantity and concentration.
Key to the extraction of and the sustainable use of resources for the development and the maintenance of a high quality of life is an understanding of the Earth as a set of interacting systems. This is the science of the Earth–the geosciences. It follows that overcoming the enormous developmental challenges facing our present civilization will require the highest quality and best educated geoscientists. Creating these quality geoscientists is the field of Geoscience Education.
The public also need to understand the Earth and evaluate the environmental and developmental challenges facing us. Can science maintain and improve the standard of living of richer communities whilst developing the poor to the same level? What natural beauty, ecosystem diversity, and geological heritage are being lost? What are the natural hazards that we need adapt to or mitigate? What do the public need to know, what actions do they need to take? Can geotourism and geoheritage sites be used to develop communities?
All the above need to be communicated and explained by geoscience educators taking into account the cultural, economic and political systems within which they operate.
Contact persons
Dr. Ian McKay (witsgeoutreach@gmail.com)
Prof Gillian Drennan (Gillian.Drennan@wits.ac.za)
School of Geosciences
University of the Witwatersrand
Private Bag X3
Wits
2050
GeoScience Educators Association of SA |
 |
 |