Dear Reia,
John Southard designed a lab based on a similar idea for an
introductory Geology course, where there was not the time or easily
accessible field area to give the students a simple mapping exercise.
I thought was a fantastic exercise, and the students seemed to enjoy
it very much.
Rather than relying on an extensive collection of images, they use a
very well-stocked rock collection. The idea is to set up a series of
stations on top of the classroom tables, each station consisting of an
oriented rock sample on top of a piece of thick cardboard/posterboard
(something that can be moved, when necessary, without losing the rock
orientation). The rock was oriented using sculpting clay, and as long
as people were at least a little careful, the rocks would stay in the
right orientation throughout the multi-session lab exercise. The
students would then have a blank "map" consisting of the numbered
locations of the rocks, and the outlines of the tables for reference.
(So there is no topographic element to this exercise.) With some
careful planning and a lot of work devoted for the initial set-up,
it's possible to use the different rock types and correct orientations
to make a "field area" with folds, angular unconformities, faults, and
intrusions. In theory these could all be interpreted correctly by the
students when they identify the different rock types, measure their
bedding orientations, and note the relative positions of all the rocks
on the map, although adding some extra images of faults or intrusive
contacts in appropriate places is one way to provide some extra clues.
If the lab is done in multiple sessions, gaffer tape works well to
mark the position of the cardboard stations on the tables. That way
the lab can be taken apart when others need to use the classroom, and
quickly re-constructed on another day. We just left a note on the
classroom board asking that no one removes the tape from the tables.
If anyone is interested, I could pass on the specific lab materials,
but probably the way the lab is designed will be limited by the supply
of rocks you have to work with and the classroom/table space.
Good luck,
Taylor
--
Taylor F. Schildgen
University of Potsdam
Institut für Erd- und Umweltwissenschaften
Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24, Haus 27
14476 Potsdam, Germany
Phone +49 (0) 331 977 5849
Fax +49 (0) 331 977 5700
http://www.geo.uni-potsdam.de/Leibnizzentrum/
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