EDUCATOR’S CORNER
but an experienced teacher creates harmony and synergy between them.
(1) Balance between textbook and new information. While college textbooks cover the basics and essentials of
their subjects and disciplines, it is sometimes useful to share stories of cutting-edge discoveries and breakthroughs with students. It takes years for most significant discoveries to be included in textbooks. Fortunately, several print and online magazines cover new discoveries and developments in science on a regular basis such as Science News (USA), Science (USA), New Scientist (UK), and Nature (UK). Readers of The Professional Geologist may also be familiar with the weekly AIPG e-News.
(2) Balance between scientific information and science history. Sometimes we describe the concepts and findings
of geoscience without explaining how they were actually discovered. Students are usually curious to know: How do we know what we know about Earth? Although a geoscience course is not a course on the history of science, it is some- times necessary to blend the textbook information with anecdotes from the history of science to show how geoscience works and grows. It is thus imperative that geoscience teach- ers also study the history of geoscience. Recently I read a new book, A Brief History of Geology (Cambridge University Press, 2018) by Kieran O’Hara, and found it informative and interesting (so much so that I actually wrote a review of the book for Geology Today). Fundamental topics such as uniformitarianism, evolution of life, determining the age of the earth, geologic timescale, and plate tectonics are better taught and learned using their historical contexts and with description of key geological features like Hutton’s Siccar Point, Guadalupe Island, samples from the Moon and meteorites, Vine and Matthew’s magnetic stripes, Benioff- Wadati subduction zone, and so forth.
(3) Balance between plain language and technical jargon. One severe difficulty that most people face in
studying geoscience is that the field is loaded with a large number of unfamiliar technical terms historically derived from the Latin, Greek, German, and French languages: Augen gneiss, batholith, Cephalopod, décollement, graben, isostasy, klippe, nappe, ophiolite, phenocryst, serpentinite, Triassic, xenolith, , and so forth. The geoscience teacher is thus faced with the dilemma of how to describe the pro- cesses, materials and structure of Earth in plain language without overloading the student’s mind with this strange jargon. Of course, the essential terms need to be used, and students learn them best if the etymology and meanings of the terms are first explained. For example, how the different stratigraphic periods (Cambrian, Permian, Cretaceous, etc.) were named needs to be explained. Or sometimes, we can substitute more familiar words; for example, “left-lateral” for “sinistral” fault; “mountain-building” for “orogenic” events; “failed rift valley” for “aulacogen” and so forth. Too much focus on unfamiliar technical jargon can discour- age the students and should be avoided in introductory geoscience courses. Perhaps an analogy helps here. An automobile has hundreds of parts and a car mechanic is expected to know their names and functionality, but an ordinary person only needs a minimum knowledge of car mechanics in order to drive safely. Similarly, a professional geologist is required to have an extensive knowledge of geologic jargon but a non-major student need not. A process- based geoscience education with a reasonable amount of terminology well explained is more suitable and effective in the introductory courses.
(4) Balance between descriptive, graphic, practical, and mathematical presentations. Students learn differently.
Some learn better through words and abstract concepts; some prefer images and diagrams; some learn most from hands-on experiences; and others are more comfortable with numbers and equations. Various methods should thus be employed in teaching: Lectures, documentary films, field trips, in-class activities, examining mineral, rock and fossil specimens, report writing, quizzes, calculations, etc. appeal to different aspects of learning.
Here I should add a note on the relationship between geoscience and mathematics. Geoscience is often perceived as a descriptive science as if mathematics has no place in it. It is important to expose the students to simple calculations and equations related to geoscience. Indeed, the ancient Greek science of “geometry” literally means “earth-mea- surement.” I often ask students to calculate the circumfer- ence, area, volume and mass of Earth, calculate the vertical offset (throw) and horizontal offset (heave) of a fault or the true thickness of an inclined or eroded sedimentary layer using simple geometry and trigonometry.
(5) Balance between theoretical and practical learn- ing. Conceptual knowledge has its own significance, but
geoscience education should not be limited to bookish information. Indeed, geoscience is about the outdoors. Students should be encouraged to learn through observation and practice: Visiting outcrops, natural history museums or national parks, examining minerals, rocks and fossils, drawing graphs and maps; photography, using Google Earth and GIS for mapping, etc. should be parts of geoscience education. In this way, students are better prepared to use technological and digital tools in their studies and projects.
(6) Balance between hard science and fun learning. Teachers are educators not entertainers; nevertheless,
teaching is an art. Science in general can be hard and dry for many people. Students learn better when teachers introduce audiovisual materials, interactive (question and answer) time as well as some wit and humorous stories into their lectures and classes.
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Geoscience education is impor- tant because it trains the next gen- erations of geologists. This implies that the quality of geoscience education directly impacts the students’ employment and work. But geoscience education is also important because it teaches the public about our how our one and only home planet functions, and about its natural environments, resources, and hazards. This pub- lic knowledge about geology is critical because informed citizens and leaders influence policy-mak- ing decisions in society.
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