Gestures for Mineralogy: Miller Indices

Barb Dutrow (Louisiana State University), Kinnari Atit (Temple University), and Carol Ormand (SERC at Carleton College)

Summary

In this exercise, students use one hand to gesture crystallographic axes and the other hand to represent planes designated by Miller Indices. This uses embodied learning to reinforce how Miller Indices are used to convey spatial information.

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Context

Audience

Undergraduate required course in Mineralogy

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

Students need to have been introduced to the concept of Miller Indices. This exercise is intended to give them practice using Miller Indices to communicate about the orientations of surfaces.

How the activity is situated in the course

This exercise follows a short lecture on Miller Indices and an assignment to determine Miller Indices of forms on wooden blocks.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

At the conclusion of this exercise, students should be able to use gestures of Miller Indices to communicate about the orientations of surfaces.

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

Other skills goals for this activity

At the conclusion of this exercise, students should be comfortable using gesture to convey Miller indices.

Description of the activity/assignment

Determining whether students have met the goals

I walk around the room and verbally quiz students as they are doing the exercise.

More information about assessment tools and techniques.

Download teaching materials and tips

Student handout for Miller Indices gesture exercise (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 487kB Mar11 13)

Other Materials

Supporting references/URLs

Goldin-Meadow, Susan (2011). Learning Through Gesture. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, v. 2, n. 6, pp. 595–607.

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