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Greetings Colleagues-

On the Cutting Edge is offering an emerging theme workshop this April  
on complex systems.   Using a systems perspective to think about Earth  
processes (and other problems) is a hallmark of geoscientists and this  
perspective is one of the most important things that we can give to  
our students.  But it is hard!  The workshop  will bring together 30  
individuals drawn from geoscience, education, cognitive science, and  
other disciplines.  We will  explore the cognitive underpinnings that  
make learning about complex systems, feedbacks and emergent behavior  
difficult, learn where our colleagues in  geoscience and other  
disciplines (e.g. social science, ecology) are having success,  and  
explore the use of models, visualizations, and other strategies to  
help students develop an understanding of the behavior of complex  
systems.    The workshop participants will produce a website with  
presentations, summaries of workshop discussions, and examples of  
teaching practice in the geosciences and beyond.

If you have experience teaching about complex systems, or conducting  
research on teaching or learning about complex systems,  and are  
interested in learning more about this important topic, we encourage  
you to apply.  The application deadline is February 1.  You can find  
full information as well as the application form at

http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/complexsystems/workshop2010/index.html

The workshop will take place  April 18-20, at Carleton College.  The  
operational costs of the workshop as well as room, board, and workshop  
materials are covered by a grant from NSF. Participants or their home  
institutions must provide transportation to and from the workshop.

We hope that you are interested!  Please pass this announcement on to  
colleagues  who might be interested in participating.

Cathy Manduca

Cathryn A Manduca
Director, Science Education Resource Center
Executive Director, National Association of Geoscience Teachers
Carleton College
1 N College Street
Northfield, MN  55057
507 222 7096
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serc.carleton.edu