In the Trenches
Latest Article
Making Plate Tectonics Visible: An Inquiry-Based Modeling Approach
Posted: Oct 20 2026 by
Why Plate Tectonics Trips Students Up?
Plate tectonics can be challenging to teach because much of what we want students to understand is invisible. Students cannot watch a tectonic plate move across the seafloor, observe mantle processes directly, or experience the movement of continents across 250 million years. They may learn to identify convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries, yet still struggle to explain what happens at those boundaries or connect individual processes into a larger story about how Earth changes. More
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About ITT
Cheryl Manning (OrbWeaver Consulting, LLC), Editor
In the Trenches (ITT) is an interactive online publication designed to provide a venue for NAGT members to learn about and discuss teaching strategies and resources, the work of NAGT committees, sections, and divisions, and other ideas relevant to Earth educators and education researchers. Articles are published online as they are finished, and each article includes a threaded discussion board and the opportunity to comment, ask questions of the author(s), and interact with other NAGT members. Access to the full articles and interactive discussions is a benefit of membership in the organization. Become a NAGT member today!
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In the Trenches seeks contributions about resources for teaching and learning, effective teaching strategies, successful advocacy efforts, professional development programs and opportunities, book reviews, profiles of geoscience educators and students, and other articles that would be of interest to our members. The online-native format allows for photos, videos, interactive visualizations and simulations, and links to external resources. The threaded discussions allow readers to comment on articles, and we ask authors to lead and participate in these discussions when their article is published.
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