Andrea Bair

Science/Geosciences, Science & Mathematics

Delta College

I currently teach and head a small geology program at a community college in mid-eastern Michigan.

My background includes a Geology BS (Michigan State), a Geology PhD specializing in Vertebrate Paleontology (Nebraska), and had a post-doc Science Teaching Fellowship as part of the Science Education Initiative at the University of Colorado-Boulder (http://www.colorado.edu/sei/), where I supported research-based transformation of undergraduate geology courses.

I maintain a small research program at the interface of GER and cognitive science, particularly how novices interpret expert visualizations, and utilizing cognitive psychology findings to improve our use of visualizations in teaching. I'm also interested in effective use of technology in teaching and learning (especially the use of clickers and computer simulations), physical models and analogies in teaching and learning science, conceptual learning in the geosciences, scientific explanation and argumentation, and the geology and paleontology of the North American Great Plains.

Workshop Leader, Webinar Participant, Website Contributor

Website Content Contributions

Activity (1)

Teaching about geologic structures with craft foam models and hands-on guided exploration activities part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2019:Program:Teaching Demonstrations:Friday
Classroom instruction on geologic structures often involves models demonstrated by the instructor, and/or student construction of paper or clay models. While these models can be useful for conceptual learning, ...

Conference Presentations (2)

Connecting magma formation, origin of crust, and the meaning behind igneous rocks using research-based diagrams, analogies, and games in physical geology part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Previous Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2016:Program:Teaching Demonstrations:Thursday B
This activity aims to: dispel common misconceptions about the origin of magma (i.e., from a liquid layer of Earth), promote understanding of the processes of magma generation, help students see igneous rocks as ...

Teaching and learning evolutionary trees: how cognitive science predicts "better" and "worse" diagram styles part of Rendezvous 2015:Program:Abstracts
A cladogram is a branching diagram commonly used to depict hypotheses of evolutionary relationships, and is a central representation of evolution in the fossil record. Biological education research has identified ...

Other Contributions (6)

Online Introductory Geoscience Labs: Challenges and strategies to support engagement and learning part of Earth Educators Rendezvous:Rendezvous 2024:Program:Round Table Discussions
More introductory undergraduate online lab courses in the geosciences are being offered now than ever before. Fully online lab courses can allow more students, and students who are not able to complete face-to-face ...

Communities

Workshop Leader

Workshop Participant (56 workshops)

Fostering Two-Year College Collaborations with Disciplinary Societies Workshop 2023
April 2023
GETSI Virtual Short Course 6 Volcanoes and Risks
February 2021
Teaching Online Introductory Geoscience Labs
July 2020

Webinar Participant (9 webinars)