LESS IS MORE: THE TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT OF THE 2003 "TEACHING PETROLOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY" ON THE CUTTING EDGE WORKSHOP

My experiences as both an undergraduate and graduate student emphasized lecture-driven classes with labs that involved mostly mineral and rock identification. As I embarked upon my professional career, I found teaching using such traditional pedagogy unappealing and began to design courses for student learning rather than memorization of information. As the only petrologist in a small undergraduate department, I enjoyed the flexibility of being innovative in the design of my petrology course and chose to cover a narrower set of topics in greater depth rather than every chapter in the textbook with limited coverage. However, I was concerned that perhaps my approach would not adequately prepare my students for graduate study. This concern was put to rest when in 2003 I participated in the "Teaching Petrology in the 21^st Century" workshop. This "On the Cutting Edge" topical workshop brought together faculty from across the institutional spectrum and introduced me to a network of faculty teaching petrology that shared my interest in teaching innovation. The conversations around breadth versus depth of coverage that included faculty from top graduate programs provided the validation I needed to confirm that I was on the right track. In addition to becoming part of a diverse community of scholars, I was introduced to numerous examples of lab projects I could adopt and adapt. The general agreement from all that a petrology course did not have to have march students through all the rock types but instead should encourage students to delve deeper into fewer topics was liberating. In addition to examination of rocks in hand sample and thin section, my students investigate geochemical and other data to more fully understand their petrogenesis. The breadth of coverage in my course has narrowed, but my students have time to think more deeply about the content and why learning petrology unlocks secrets about geological processes and the earth's past history. The pedagogy I use with confidence in my petrology course has impacted all the courses I teach. That "Cutting Edge" workshop I attended over a decade ago has defined and transformed my role as an educator. Now I focus on helping all my students learn how to think and learn and this has brought me great satisfaction in knowing that this will serve my students well throughout their careers.