MINNESOTA FIELD GEOLOGY SERIES: INQUIRY-BASED FIELD GEOLOGY FOR NON-MAJORS

Minnesota’s geology can be broadly summarized in four categorizes: 1) Volcanic, plutonic and metamorphic geology; 2) Glacial geology; 3) Caves, Karst and Ancient Seaways; and 4) Fluvial Geology. These categories, which provide narrowly-focused content areas, serve as the foundation for the Minnesota Field Geology Series (MFGS); Comprising four, two-credit field geology electives for non-majors, the MFGS series was designed, in part, to complement North Hennepin Community College’s longstanding interdisciplinary Outdoor Education Program. The MFGS goals are threefold: 1) to reveal and address students’ pre-and misconceptions about earth processes and their past and present consequences; 2) to re-ignite their curiosity and the excitement of discovery in a setting that is familiar to most; and 3) to help them develop a greater appreciation of geology and the environment, and of the relationship of both to Minnesota’s economy and politics.

Classroom sessions, over 5 to 6 Thursday evenings, provide students with content modules on various geologic topics (e.g. plate tectonics, earth systems cycling, geologic time and stratigraphy, rock and mineral identification). Content modules are facilitated using an inquiry-based, lab approach which takes students through four cognitive stages: activity, reflect, explain, and connect (AREC). Practicing this approach prior to the field trip prepares students for making geologic observations in the field, thinking about what they see from place to place and, finally, assembling their observations to elucidate the big picture.

By the time we get into the field, students comfortably use the inquiry-based approach when examining outcrops and viewing the landscape. Their observational skills are so refined that they easily recognize subtle features, ask questions about them and are able place them in a geologic context. Although there are times in the classroom when students feel a bit overwhelmed by the inquiry-based process, they readily acknowledge its value when they see how their ability to make geologic observations and to piece together the geologic story has developed.