Teaching Geochemistry 2010

In Association with the Goldschmidt 2010 Conference

The workshop will be held prior to the 20th Annual Goldschmidt Conference

MEETING ROOM: 400A at the UT Conference Center. This is not the Convention Center, but the building is connected by a covered walkway.

Venue: University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Knoxville, TN

Dates: Teaching Workshop June 11-13 (pre Goldschmidt Conference)

Goldschmidt Conference, June 13-18

$Crystal structure determined from X-ray diffraction data.$

Workshop Overview

This workshop will bring together leaders in undergraduate geochemistry(geochemistry is broadly defined to include low- and high-temperature geochemistry, stable and radioisotope geochemistry, organic and biogeochemistry, cosmochemistry and related fields such as mineralogy, petrology, crystallography, analytical science, material science, experimental approaches, computational and analogue modeling...) and geoscience education to:

Review where and how geochemistry is taught in the geoscience curriculum, as dedicated geochemistry courses and in other related courses;
Demonstrate exemplary instructional activities including laboratories, use of geochemical datasets, computer-assisted learning, and other in-class exercises
Consider how to best incorporate new advances in geochemical research into instructional activities; and
Continue to create and review new instructional activities to support teaching and learning about geochemistry and establish plans for next steps in developing additional instructional resources

Workshop Format

Workshop activities will include:

Plenary sessions to explore the current state and future of teaching geochemistry
Small group, focused discussions on topical issues
Participation in working groups to develop plans for collecting and creating new resources
Demonstrations of effective instructional activities in geochemistry. Participants will share strategies for actively engaging students in the classroom and for providing effective and innovative lab experiences.

Expectations

Participants are expected to:

Contribute to resource collections prior to and following the workshop. (Instructions on how to upload teaching activities will be sent in subsequent messages to workshop participants); the workshop program will showcase many of these volunteered contributions.
Participate in workshop discussion groups
Contribute to follow-on activities, e.g. development of new resources, review of activities, broader dissemination and implementation,

Registration and Logistics

Please use the online registration form to reserve your place at the workshop.
The registration fee is $40 (to cover costs of coffee service, snacks and two lunches).
Housing should be arranged using the Goldschmidt Conference
Coffee service and lunches will be provided during the workshop days. Breakfast and dinners will be at your own cost (but small groups from the workshop will be encouraged for additional networking opportunities).
The registration deadline is May 28, 2010.

Schedule

Please plan to arrive in Knoxville, TN on Friday, June 11. We will have an informal, no-host dinner for participants who arrive in time. The opening session will include dessert and coffee at 7:00 PM for an introduction to the workshop, and first whole-group discussion.
Saturday, June 12, we will start at 8 AM (coffee service) with sessions planned for the entire day.
Sunday, June 13, we will start at 8 AM and the workshop will end at 3 PM in time to prepare for the start of the main Goldschmidt Conference.