Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) WarmUp Activity: Ethics of Fossil Collecting

Laura Guertin, Penn State University Delaware County

This material was originally created for Starting Point:Introductory Geology
and is replicated here as part of the SERC Pedagogic Service.

This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Peer Reviewed Teaching Activities collection. (view details)

This activity was selected for the On the Cutting Edge Reviewed Teaching Collection

This activity has received positive reviews in a peer review process involving five review categories. The five categories included in the process are

Scientific Accuracy
Alignment of Learning Goals, Activities, and Assessments
Pedagogic Effectiveness
Robustness (usability and dependability of all components)
Completeness of the ActivitySheet web page

For more information about the peer review process itself, please see https://serc.carleton.edu/teachearth/activity_review.html.

Initial Publication Date: April 22, 2005 | Reviewed: October 22, 2012 (see revision history: 5 events)

Question:

1) What do you think it means for a fossil resource to be "abused"?

2) What's the issue with fossil hunting on federal land (such as National Parks)? Explain what your interpretation of the conflict is.

3) Do you think commercial dealers and scientists can work together? How? Is this a good idea?

Student Responses:

See the Just-in-Time Teaching page on assessment for information and ideas on how to evaluate student responses.

References and Notes:

Articles that students may be assigned to read for this set of questions include (but are not limited to):

Browne, M.W. "Clash on Fossil Sales Shadows a Trade Fair," The New York Times Book of Fossils and Evolution, p. 160-165.

The use of Just-in-Time Teaching is discussed in detail on the JiTT Starting Point page.

Additional information on JiTT is available in the book:

Just-in-Time Teaching: Blending Active Learning with Web Technology. Novak et al., 1999 The authors explain what Just-in-Time Teaching is, its underlying goals and philosophies, and how to implement it. They also provide an extensive section of tested resource materials that can be used in introductory physics courses with the JiTT approach. (citation and description)