The “Student Model” Approach to Geology in the Secondary Schools

Abstract

The problem of trying to develop introductory geology courses in the secondary schools cannot be solved by transferring college freshman courses and materials (with a few modifications). Secondary-school courses require an approach quite different from the “read-and-listen” method used in colleges. The traditional geology laboratory hardly meets the needs of the secondary-school pupil. Florida State University has adopted a sequence of geology courses specifically designed for the education major (the prospective school teacher). In the first of these courses, the student is taught—by example—that the most effective method of reaching the school pupil is by means of student-built models. Approximately 35 models, simple enough for ninth- or tenth-graders to build and operate, are covered, along with the usual geological glossary of terms and ideas. These models involve the pupil in activities as diverse as measuring the acceleration of gravity, producing a miniature Permian Basin under an infrared lamp, an...