Deep Blue Discoveries: Engaging Gifted Learners with the Secrets of the Oceans and Sea Floor

Marine and ocean floors comprise the submerged parts of the Earth's surface, including deep-water basins and shallow continental shelves. These floors often feature diverse geological formations such as ocean ridges, deep trenches, volcanic cones, and seamounts. Their shape and composition vary significantly due to factors like pressure, temperature, and the lifestyles of various organisms at different water depths. These variations are crucial for Earth's ecosystem, contributing not only to oxygen production but also to biodiversity conservation, climate regulation, and the understanding of geological processes. Additionally, marine floors host geothermal resources, minerals, and petroleum, which are strategically important for human life and industrial activities. However, understanding these topics can be challenging for students.

To address this, the instructional strategies implemented during the educational process aim to help students comprehend the features and importance of marine and ocean floors. These strategies involve the use of visual and auditory materials. In the first stage, a drawing activity titled “What’s under the sea?” was carried out to assess students' prior knowledge of the topic. Following this, students was asked to illustrate marine organisms, transforming their drawings into teaching materials. A marine floor map was created, where students added components reflecting the layered properties of ocean and sea floors, culminating in the creation of a poster. BBC and National Geographic books and documentaries also supported the learning process. Moreover, interactive seafloor maps facilitated easier understanding and made learning more enjoyable for students.

Moreover, model and mock-up activities assisted students in grasping the physical characteristics of marine and ocean floors. Likewise, These activities encouraged them to utilize their creativity to better understand the shapes, depths, and biodiversity of marine floors. Selecting eco-friendly materials further underscored the importance of sustainability. Such activities both improved students' craftsmanship and reinforced their knowledge of marine sciences.

Among the difficulties encountered in training related to this study, the most important is that the subject is often abstract and distant. The inability of students to physically explore marine and ocean floors exacerbates this difficulty. To overcome these challenges, technology-based solutions such as virtual field trips and real-time observations using underwater robots can be employed. Additionally, providing students with compelling examples that link the topic to current issues is crucial.

This study comprehensively examines educational practices related to marine and ocean floors. It delves into their characteristics, instructional strategies, student projects, experiments for natural science classes, educational materials and resources, challenges, and proposed solutions. The results of this study aim to enhance school education on marine and ocean floors, enabling students to better understand and engage with the topic.

This study explores educational practices related to marine and ocean floors in school curricula, aiming to deepen students' understanding of marine ecosystems, geology, and sustainable use. Conducted during science classes at Bilecik Borsa Istanbul Science and Art Center (Turkiye) with 54 students, the study revealed that it not only enhanced students' interest in natural sciences but also increased their awareness of environmental consciousness and sustainability.