AQUISIÇÃO DE VISÃO ESPACIAL PELO ESTUDO TEÓRICO-PRÁTICO DE ESTRUTURAS TECTÔNICAS EM DIFERENTES ESCALAS DE OBSERVAÇÃO

Abstract

The teaching-learning of geologic processes often faces the outstanding problem, mainly for Structural Geology, of comprehension of space. The difficulties become clearer when major regional structures are studied in the field as opposed to maps and representations or lab-models studied in classroom. The described series of didactic fieldtrips in a Structural Geology discipline of the Geology undergraduate course at the Rio de Janeiro Federal Rural University follow motivating and investigative guidelines; they have considered the previous knowledge of the students. When asked to recognize large-scale folds in a Precambrian area the students performed the required tasks with both good cognitive results and excellent spatial learning. A number of techniques was adopted, allowing an identification of: (a) relationship among students; (b) personal aims and perspectives; (c) previous geological knowledge; (d) understanding of spacial concepts as a means to improve the discipline; (e) professional expectations; (f) evaluation of subsidiary geometry concepts helpful for understanding natural structures. The teacher should take into account the characteristics of the students. The doubts should not be immediately answered by the teacher to stimulate further developments. Personal yield is analyzed as a balance between specific abilities and deficiencies. The approach of thinking and practicizing science was not exhausted but it is a fundamental research tool on links between natural processes and features. The first non-oriented fieldtrip resulted in a lot of questions and low productivity; the second excursion (when students have already learned basic concepts of Structural Geology) was mainly for training basic tools but became investigative at the end. Students also tried to make a map plotting of the outcrops on different scales and associated the observed features to the local relief. The adoption of an inverse order (theory was presented after practical work) enhanced the participation of both students and teacher. The second fieldwork allowed a theoretical discussion on the postulates of scientific methodology. The large-scale fold and related structures were unknown by the teacher who selected the outcrops but he identified some diagnostic characteristics of a major regional fold just before the students. Nevertheless, this conceptual jump apported new information which is useful for a future inductive activity.