Contractional Strain: Gestures
Laurel Goodwin, UW-Madison, and Carol Ormand
, SERC at Carleton College
Summary
In this exercise, students use gesture to describe the bulk deformation and local deformation apparent in images of a contractional analog experiment. This uses embodied learning to help students conceptualize contractional deformation. It also helps break up the lecture and gives the instructor immediate visual feedback about whether students understand these basic concepts.
Context
Audience
Undergraduate required course in Structural Geology
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
It is helpful, but not necessary, for students to know something about folds and reverse faults prior to this exercise.
How the activity is situated in the course
This exercise accompanies a lecture on contractional fault systems, convergent tectonics, and strain. It is one of several gesture exercises incorporated in the course, so students are accustomed to using gesture to describe/illustrate structural concepts.
Goals
Content/concepts goals for this activity
Students will recognize that horizontal shortening is accommodated by vertical thickening. They will also recognize that shortening within a specific lithological layer can be accommodated by multiple mechanisms.
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
Other skills goals for this activity
After completing this exercise, students will be able to use gesture to describe the deformation within a contractional tectonic setting.
Description of the activity/assignment
In this exercise, students use gesture to describe the bulk deformation and local deformation apparent in images of a contractional analog experiment. This uses embodied learning to help students conceptualize contractional deformation. It also helps break up the lecture and gives the instructor immediate visual feedback about whether students understand these basic concepts. This exercise can be paired with a series of contractional strain calculations, where students quantify the deformation.
Determining whether students have met the goals
We walk around the room, watching and talking with the students as they work through the exercise. It's a quick and easy way to see whether students understand bulk contractional deformation.
More information about assessment tools and techniques.Download teaching materials and tips
- Contractional Strain: Gestures (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 408kB Mar21 13)
Other Materials
Supporting references/URLs
Dixon, John M. and Liu, Shumin, Centrifuge modeling of the propagation of thrust faults, in Thrust Tectonics (Ken R. McClay, ed.), 1992.
Goldin-Meadow, Susan (2011). Learning Through Gesture. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, v. 2, n. 6, pp. 595–607.
