DIG: partnering with teachers to inspire students

By David M. Grossnickle, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Washington Dept. of Biology
Photos courtesy of DIG Field School

More than research is accomplished on BLM land through the paleontology program. Students in STEM classrooms benefit from hands-on activities. However, teachers often encounter a problem when implementing these methods: they lack hands-on science experience themselves, making it difficult for them to design classroom activities that effectively engage and educate students on a given topic. The goal of the Discoveries in Geosciences (DIG) Field School is to help remedy this problem by providing teachers with an authentic experience in paleontological fieldwork. And what better way to excite teachers and students than to dig up dinosaurs!

The DIG Field School (www.digfieldschool.org) is a nonprofit education program for K–12 teachers, created ten years ago by paleontologists associated with the University of Washington and Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture. Teachers spend four days of the summer in northeastern Montana, working side-by-side with paleontologists to excavate fossils and examine topics such as the extinction of dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Teachers receive hands-on, immersive practice in STEM subjects, such as earth science and evolution. The DIG Field School partners with the BLM, taking teachers to fossil localities on BLM land and educating teachers on the importance of the BLM’s oversight of public lands.

Although the DIG Field School is for teachers, the ultimate goal is to inspire students. Teachers are provided with relevant lesson plans and resources to take back to their classroom, thus magnifying the DIG’s impact by immersing thousands of students in authentic scientific research. For instance, teachers can request samples of fossiliferous sediment, and students can be tasked with sorting and identifying fossils in the sediment. To date, students have discovered thousands of fossil turtles, crocodiles, fish, dinosaurs, and mammals. After this summer, approximately 200 teachers will have participated in the DIG Field School, ultimately educating and inspiring an estimated 20,000 students.