"RAISING GEOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS THROUGH EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: ENCOURAGING STUDENTS TO EXPLORE THEIR WORLD"

Students are increasingly becoming disengaged in the classroom when traditional teaching methods, such as textbook readings, publisher supplied lecture notes, and examinations focusing on pure memorization, are utilized. How can we engage these students in a way that will help them become, not only interested in the geological sciences but also gain an environmental awareness of the world around them? Personal knowledge and firsthand experiences are required. Students are more likely to become involved in a discussion when the professor is relating firsthand knowledge or using personal images from locations visited instead of publisher supplied photographs. This seminar will share best practices utilized over the last few years of instruction that has led to a shift away from traditional methods of teaching to methods that encourage both instructors and students to learn about their environment by exploring their world.