Packing Slip 
item |
Earth Fissures: Arizona's Crack Problem (2001-2002 SyRIS Module) |
contact |
Donna Benson (Mesa Community College) donna.benson@mcmail.maricopa.edu |
credits |
Suzanne Martin (Biology) John Weide (Chemistry) Donald Yee (Engineering) |
college(s) |
Mesa Community College |
discipline(s) |
Biology, Geology, Chemistry, Engineering |
summary |
Traditionally, geologic features such as earth fissures are studied only in geology classes. However, understanding how the environment interacts with both living and non-living things is central to all fields of science. Using a real-world, field-based problem ("The State has a piece of land in which they are trying to decide how to disposition the land"), the module identifies a set of core concepts common to biology, chemistry, engineering, and geology courses. Students are divided into teams. Each team consists of two students from each of the four disciplines working together. They must integrate their field work with their individual classroom experiences to better understand each of the four disciplines and how they relate, using this knowledge to solve a geological fissure problem. During the field exercise, instructors from all four different disciplines act as resources. |
details |
Geologic change and its affect on the environment is a difficult topic for students to grasp; it's a gradual process observed over long periods of time. How other disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and engineering directly affect land and its use also is not so intuitive to students. The interaction between these disciplines can be overwhelming to a student who is required to understand the relationships between them and to effectively use that information to solve a problem that they could come across. Giving students the opportunity to work on a multi-discipline problem that explores these relationships and is directly applied to a real world situation will give students a better appreciation for the different disciplines and how they relate to each. Geologic features such as earth fissures are becoming a major environmental problem in Arizona today, especially in agricultural and urban areas where overpumping of the groundwater is occurring. Chances are you will never see an earth fissure "open up". However, there is a good chance you or someone you know will come in contact with these features if you plan to purchase a home sometime in the future. Environmental interactions (and their effects) are complex and difficult to understand without careful analysis. By using a field-based problem like earth fissures, we provide students the opportunity to experience a variety of learning activities in an interdisciplinary team to help them better understand the world around them. Using a real-world, field-based problem, we identified a set of core concepts common to biology, chemistry, engineering, and geology courses. Students are divided into teams. Each team consists of two students from each of the four disciplines working together to solve a problem. The teams integrate their field work with their individual classroom experiences to better understand each of the four disciplines and how they relate, using this knowledge to solve a problem. During the field exercise, we have the instructors from all four different disciplines as resources. Using a real-world, field-based problem, we identified a set of core concepts common to biology, chemistry, engineering, and geology courses. Students are divided into teams. Each team consists of two students from each of the four disciplines working together to solve a problem. The teams integrate their field work with their individual classroom experiences to better understand each of the four disciplines and how they relate, using this knowledge to solve a problem. During the field exercise, we have the instructors from all four different disciplines as resources. Note! As a professional courtesy to the owner of this package, if you use some aspect of this package or have some thoughts about it, please share your feedback via the comments form below. |
web links |
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/syris/ http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/syris/modules/index.php?yr=0102&id=6 http://realgar.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/media/syris/syris0102_m6_student.pdf http://realgar.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/media/syris/syris0102_m6_instruct.pdf |
comments |
Most recent comment about this package:
On Wed May 10, 2006 at 1:16AM Rublyn E. Pascovillo <spekahs@yahoo.com> said: |
shareback |
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extra |
Last modified: Nov-06-2002 Date created: Nov-06-2002 Visitor count: 5748 Dublin Core Metadata record  This package is included in the Systemic Reform In Science (SyRIS) Modules special collection. |
Maricopa Learning eXchange
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/mlx/slip.php?item=403
