> DOI: https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2009.supplement.01
 

Authors

Lee Karp-Boss, University of Maine, Orono
Emmanuel Boss, University of Maine, Orono
Herman Weller, University of Maine, Orono
James Loftin, University of Maine, Orono
​Jennifer Albright, University of Maine, Orono
 

Citation

Karp-Boss, L., E. Boss, H. Weller, J. Loftin, and J. Albright. 2009. Teaching Physical Concepts in Oceanography: An Inquiry Based Approach. Oceanography 22(3), supplement, 48 pp, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2009.supplement.01.
 

About

This supplement to Oceanography magazine focuses on educational approaches to help engage students in learning and offers a collection of hands-on/minds-on activities for teaching physical concepts that are fundamental in oceanography. These key concepts include density, pressure, buoyancy, heat and temperature, and gravity waves. We focus on physical concepts for two reasons. First, students whose attraction to marine science stems from an interest in ocean organisms are typically unaware that physics is fundamental to understanding how the ocean, and all the organisms that inhabit it, function. Second, existing marine education and outreach programs tend to emphasize the biological aspects of marine sciences. While many K–12 activities focus on marine biology, comparatively few have been developed for teaching about the physical and chemical aspects of the marine environment (e.g., Ford and Smith, 2000, and a collection of activities on the Digital Library for Earth System Education Web site [DLESE; http://www.dlese.org/library/index.jsp]). The ocean provides an exciting context for science education in general and physics in particular. Using the ocean as a platform to which specific physical concepts can be related helps to provide the environmental relevance that science students are often seeking.

The activities described in this supplement were developed as part of a Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) collaboration between scientists and education specialists, and they were implemented in two undergraduate courses that targeted sophomores, juniors, and seniors (one for marine science majors and one including both science and education majors) and in four, week-long workshops for middle- and high-school science teachers. 

Support for this project was provided by the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE), grant number OCE-0528702. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF.

Permission is granted to reprint this publication in whole or in part for any noncommercial, educational uses. The Oceanography Society requests that the original source be credited.
 

Full Report

English
• teaching_phys_concepts.pdf (3.5 MB; revised September 2024)
• teaching_phys_concepts_hi.pdf (print quality; 19 MB; revised September 2024)
• Single printed copies of the original English version are available upon request from [email protected].

Catalan
• teaching_phys_concepts-CAT.pdf (3.5 MB; revised April 2021)
• teaching_phys_concepts_hi-CAT.pdf (print quality; 19 MB; revised April 2021)

Español
• teaching_phys_concepts-ESP.pdf (3.5 MB; revised April 2021)
• teaching_phys_concepts_hi-ESP.pdf (print quality; 19 MB; revised April 2021)

French
• teaching_phys_concepts-FR.pdf (3.5 MB; revised April 2021)
• teaching_phys_concepts_hi-FR.pdf (print quality; 19 MB; revised April 2021)

Japanese
• teaching_phys_concepts_J.pdf (3.9 MB; revised April 2021)
• teaching_phys_concepts_hi-J.pdf (print quality; 19 MB; revised April 2021)

Portuguese
• teaching_phys_concepts_PT.pdf (3.9 MB; September 2024)
• teaching_phys_concepts_PT_hi.pdf (print quality; 19 MB; September 2024)
 

Permissions

Permission is granted to reprint this publication in whole or in part for any noncommercial, educational uses. The Oceanography Society requests that the original source be credited.
 

Videos 

Videos that accompany the activities in this booklet are available at http://cosee.umaine.edu/programs/courses/UMaine491.

NSF’s Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE)