The Earth and environmental sciences group is a young and dynamic team, and the only group in Israel which is involved in earth science education. This group introduced the earth sciences as an integral part of the science curricula. Our main research activities, have been directed towards the development of environmental insight through earth systems education. This has been conducted through the study of our planet, and its interrelationships with the other components of the natural system and society.

We are involved in curriculum development and implementation at all levels of the educational system – from kindergarten until the high school.

Our curriculum development projects have been designed for a variety of learning environments: the laboratory, the outdoors, the computer and the classroom.

All our projects involved studying students' learning difficulties and misconceptions.

More specifically, we have been trying to explore the following areas:

• students' cognitive abilities to perceive "systems".
• the students' cognitive abilities to learn multidiscplinar subjects.
• teachers' abilities to teach multidiscplinar subjects.

In addition we have been involve in studying of three very important cognitive abilities which are strongly related to the geological education: Spatial visualization, retrospective thinking and deep time perception.

Finally, as part of the implementation process we provide teachers with intensive in-service training courses.