See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: Teaching Petrology and Structural Geology in the 21st Century
Abstract:
Bowen's Reaction Series provides an excellent example of our method. Although students are exposed to this concept in our introductory course, in the upper-level petrology course the concept is brought out and deconstructed at greater depth as an in-class group exercise. Gaps in their knowledge become apparent and are promptly addressed. This aids students in connecting prior knowledge with newer concepts and builds student confidence in their capacity to master new material. A simplified discussion of the olivine-pyroxene transition follows. Later, as the students study phase diagrams, the olivine-pyroxene transition is brought back and explored on a deeper level. Students also learn basic folds in the introductory course, which are reviewed in Structure. When students are asked to name recumbent folds, they see their vocabulary of fold classification is simplistic, leading into a fuller discussion of fold geometry. In both examples, fundamental concepts are continually revisited at higher levels of complexity. Students well-equipped with foundational knowledge and an awareness of its limits are better able to connect new terms and concepts to prior knowledge.
See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: Teaching Petrology and Structural Geology in the 21st Century