Geoscience education research project part of Undergraduate Research:2014 Workshop:Activities
Students complete a scientific research project including asking a question, developing methods, collecting data, analyzing and interpreting data, and communicating results. The research question begins "What ...

Teaching geologic time and rates of landscape evolution with dice part of Rates and Time:GSA Activity Posters
Landscape evolution provides a convenient framework for understanding geologic time and rates because students can observe how processes like erosion and deposition shape their surroundings. In this example, students build 3-D sandbox models based on topographic maps and design and stage a "virtual adventure race." Sandbox landscapes are used to illustrate erosional processes,while local examples are used to discuss landscapes as transient or steady over different time- and length scales. Dice experiments illustrate radioactive decay and the shape of the age equation curve, and 14C dating, geochronology and thermochronology are introduced as "stopwatches" that start when a plant dies, a crystal forms, or a rock nears the surface and cools to a certain temperature. The sandbox model and thermochronometer "stopwatches" are combined to measure erosion rates and rates of landscape change. Ultimately, model rates (cm/hour) calculated from stopwatch times on the order of seconds can be related to geologic rates (km/My) calculated from real million-year-old samples.

Learning About Thinking and Thinking About Learning part of Affective Domain:Activities
A document about learning provides background information for classroom activities to help students be more intentional about their thinking and learning

Guided Discovery Problems part of Teaching Methods:Guided Discovery Problems
Developed by Ann Bykerk-Kauffman . Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, California State University, Chico What are Guided Discovery Problems? Deep down inside, why are you a scientist? I'll ...

Teaching Urban Students part of Teaching Methods:Teaching Urban Students
Developed by Wayne Powell, Department of Geology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York Geoscience faculty who teach in large cities encounter a unique set of challenges and opportunities. According to the ...

Jigsaws part of Teaching Methods:Jigsaws
Developed by Barbara Tewksbury, Hamilton College "When efforts are structured cooperatively, there is considerable evidence that students will exert more effort to achieve - learn more, use higher-level ...

What Do You Know Now? part of Metacognition:Activities
An opportunity to offer metacognitive teaching arises from the simple question "what do you know now that you didn't before (whatever)"? This simple question can be asked after a reading, a lecture, a lab or other unit of student activity. The thrust is to force the student to consider what they've been exposed to and reflect on what they've learned. Did the activity change their opinion? Did this activity help them identify an analogy?

Peer Instruction part of Metacognition:Activities
Peer instruction may offer some of the richest opportunities for metacognitive teaching. Reciprocal (peer) teaching forces the instructor to use a whole series of metacognitive processes such as determining what ...

Challenging Pre-Conceptions part of Metacognition:Activities
Students carry into class pre-conceptions based on stories they've heard, articles they've read and experiences they've had. One of the best opportunities to teach metacognition is at a 'gotcha' moment when they come to realize their pre-conception is amiss.

Teaching with Google Earth part of Teaching Methods:Teaching with Google Earth
Created by Glenn A. Richard, Mineral Physics Institute, Stony Brook University Updates by Diana Krupnick and Beth Pratt-Sitaula, UNAVCO A Guide to Using Google Earth in the Geoscience Classroom What is Google ...