Instead of templates (which I find, as others have suggested, may promote
minimal effort - check it off and go on) we have been most successful in
promoting deep and careful observation by sharing with the students an
example of what we consider exemplary work. This shows them a concrete
example of what we actually want - what we mean by "a detailed
description," or "a labeled sketch," for example. The best example is one
created by a student, but we have also been successful with faculty-created
examples.
I agree that the "big picture" orientation on the outcrop - "Why am I here?
Where do I go next?" separates effective mappers from those who flail
about. If someone knows how to teach that, I'd love to hear about it.
David Lee Smith, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Geology, Environmental Science, and Physics
La Salle University, 1900 W. Olney Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19141
http://www.lasalle.edu/~dsmith [log in to unmask]
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