Teaching Geochemistry 2010

Program

Crystal structure determined from X-ray diffraction data.

Friday, June 11

5:30 No-Host Dinner Knoxville Downtown Grill and Brewery.

Join us prior to the Teaching Geochemistry workshop for an informal meal together. Maps of downtown Knoxville, directions to the Convention Center

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

7:00 Opening Plenary Session-- (Coffee and Dessert)

Welcome, Workshop introduction and goals (PowerPoint 229kB Jun15 10)--Dave Mogk

geochemistry centric world
Consensus view of a geochemistry-centric world by workshop participants. Click image for an enlarged view.

Whole Group Discussion: What should students be learning in our geochemistry classroom? --Dex Perkins, Discussion Leader

  • What is an appropriate geochemistry curriculum?
  • How does a geochemistry class fit into the overall geology curriculum
  • How much of what they learn in a geochemistry class will they ever use again?
  • Report out for group discussion (Microsoft Word 34kB Jun15 10)

Saturday, June 12

8:00 Coffee/Tea Service

8:30 Plenary I: Dex Perkins, What should students be learning in our geochemistry classroom: a holistic view (PowerPoint 6.9MB Jun15 10)

some topics identified as being important in geochem classes
Workshop participants split into groups to discuss topics that should be covered in a geochemistry class. They did not come to any consensus, but some topics (shown in the Wordle image) were mentioned by more than one group. Click image for an enlarged view.

9:30 Dave Mogk, Resources available for you to use at SERC: What you need, when you need it!

10:15 Break

10:30 Demonstrations I—Using Data

12:00 Lunch (catered near the room)

1:00 Plenary II: Darrell Henry, The role of Mineralogy-Petrology-Geochemistry courses in programmatic learning outcomes and their assessment (PowerPoint 5.6MB Jun15 10)

General group discussion on assessment

2:00 Demonstrations II--Teaching Activities

  • Melanie Szulczewski, Experiments with Ultraviolet Radiation and the Greenhouse Effect
  • David Hirsch, "Teaching Optical Mineralogy and Petrography Using a Variety of Visualizations"
    • 'Uniaxial Positive Indicatrix Movie' and 'Biaxial Negative Indicatrix Movie', these are big files and may take awhile to download!
    • AFM Projection Animation, 24 Mb Quicktime move
  • Dex Perkins Leader, Group Discussion: Teaching with Visualizations, What Works?, examples from the Teaching Phase Equilibria Module on Binary Phase Diagrams.

3:30 Break

4:00 Jeff Ryan, Use of Instrumentation in Student Projects (PowerPoint 16MB Jun15 10)

5:00-6:00 Group Discussion: Pedagogy and Geochemistry Course Design Whole group discussion: "Best Practices" related to: (questions, comments, advice, sources of help....)

  • Learning Environment Lecture, labs, activities, problem sets, projects....
  • Learning Resources Textbooks, materials needed, instruments....
  • Learning goals, assessments, outcomes?

Dinner: On your own in small groups, around town....

Sunday, June 13

8:00 Coffee/Tea

8:30 Demonstrations III--Activities

10:00-10:15 Break

10:15-12:00 General Teaching Strategies

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-2:30 Small Working Groups: Develop a work plan for new instructional activities OR review recently submitted activities. Suggested topics....

  • Thermodynamics
  • Stable Isotopes
  • Mineral Resources/applied to modern materials
  • Other topical geochemistry issues (cleaning up oil spills?)
  • REVIEW EXERCISES

2:30-3:00 Report outs, Wrap-up and Workshop Evaluation