This activity can be used in Environmental or Physical Geology courses for majors or non-majors. It could also be used in a high school environmental science class.

Students will need to already know concepts of sustainability, fossil fuel extraction, and have some introductory knowledge of the role of carbon dioxide in climate change.

This could be a stand alone exercise, but I used it more than halfway through the course, once I knew my students' strengths and areas of interest.

By the end of the learning cycle, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate that they have read their packets by being informed participants in the conversations at each poster, as judged by themselves and their partners.
• State which sources of energy (conventional and alternative-yet-to-be-brought-to-market) are appropriate powering motor vehicles , and the advantages and disadvantages of each?
• State which sources of energy (conventional and alternative) are appropriate for powering homes (Heat, hot water, cooking, cooling, light, etc), and the advantages and disadvantages?
• State which sources of energy (conventional and alternative) are appropriate for powering industry (They need electricity, heat, hot water, cooling systems, etc) and argue their reasoning.
• State the most polluting energy sources, and what type of pollution do they produce and state the least polluting energy sources, and why we are not using them more.
• State fifteen ways the average person can conserve energy.
• Argue whether we do or do not need to conserve energy.
• Determine whether or not energy conservation should be a legal mandate from the U.S. government for our citizens. Determine whether or not the U.N. should require international consensus on energy conservation and determine what would be fair to developing nations.
• State the reasons we can no longer depend on fossil fuels (both domestic and imported) to power the United States of America, and identify the great issues are that are at stake.
• Answer the questions: Who will pay the price for energy decisions made (or not made) in the next few years? What do you anticipate that price might be?

• Synthesis: Each student will read assigned articles before the activity and will answer complex questions using these articles.
• Analysis: In conjunction with a group, consensus will be reached as to the best, most complete answer to each question posed in the gallery walk.

• Speaking about science
• Reaching consensus with a group
• Using resources to substantiate opinions

Each student has been given a packet of information on an energy topic. There are two articles that all the students will receive, on energy conservation and addiction to oil, and then several others on their specific topic. Each student will be instructed to become the classroom expert on their specific topic by reading the articles and being invited to look up more information.

These steps are modified from Step by Step Instructions for Gallery Walk

I learned this technique at a Cutting Edge workshop put on by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers called Designing Innovative and Effective Geoscience Courses in the summer of 2008.

The steps to this lesson are:

1. I have generated a list of questions around energy.
2. The questions will be written on poster-sized paper, one question to each sheet.
3. The questions will be posted in a foyer area.
4. The students have been given general directions in the previous class, and more specific directions will be given the day of the event.
5. The students have been prepared by reading packets of energy information, as described above in this document. They have also been advised on how the grading rubric and feedback will be used.
6. The students will be put into groups of two, because the class is so small. Each group will have a different colored marker. If the groups were larger, roles would be assigned, like recorder, speaker, emissary, etc... That won't work with this small class.
7. We will begin the gallery walk. Each team will start at a different chart, read the question, talk to each other, then document their response in their colored ink. They will be encouraged to write in a pithy bulleted format closest to the top of the chart.
8. The teams will rotate to a new station after a period of time (to be determined!) They will rotate clockwise. Arriving at a new station, the students will read the question, the responses of the other groups who posted before them, and add their comments, sort of like a BLOG. The groups can switch recorders at each station to keep all members involved.
9. I will monitor the students' progress. I may have to intervene to clarify a point or direct the students to think of something they may have overlooked. I will wander between groups, listening in, and asking "Socratic" guiding questions if needed.
10. Once all groups have responded to all the posters, they can return to posters to read the other postings, and even add to their own comments.
11. After the rotations and comment period, students will "report out", which each group synthesizes the comments for each question into a summary. The groups will then take turns making oral reports on the questions at hand. I may decide to have them do a written report instead, so that they create a document to refer to later in the course.
12. I will be gauging student understanding throughout the report stage, to reinforce correctly expressed concepts and correct for errors or misconceptions.

The questions my students had to answer were:

• What sources of energy (conventional and alternative-yet-to-be-brought-to-market) are appropriate powering motor vehicles? In detail, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
• What sources of energy (conventional and alternative) are appropriate for powering homes? (Heat, hot water, cooking, cooling, light, etc) In detail, what are the advantages and disadvantages?
• What are the most polluting energy sources, and what type of pollution do they produce? What are the least polluting energy sources, and why aren't we using them more?
• What are fifteen ways the average person can conserve energy?
• Do we need to conserve energy? Do developing nations need to? Why or why not?
• Should energy conservation be a legal mandate from the U.S. government for our citizens? Should the U.N. require international consensus on energy conservation? Would that be fair to developing nations?
• What are the reasons we can no longer depend on fossil fuels (both domestic and imported) to power the United States of America? What are the great issues at stake?
• Who will pay the price for energy decisions made (or not made) in the next few years? What do you anticipate that price might be?

Students will create a report from the experience during the report out stage of the lesson. The students will also be given an essay question on the final exam that addresses some of the questions from this activity. Students will evaluate themselves and their partner on being prepared for this lesson.

Step by Step Instructions for Gallery Walks
Why Use the Gallery Walk Method?
Assessing Gallery Walks