A virtual journey within the rock-cycle: A software kit for the development of systems-thinking in the context of the earth's crust

Journal of Geoscience Education, Mar 2003 by Kali, Yael

ABSTRACT

Developments in the last few years in earth science education can be characterized by a shift towards a systems approach to teaching and curriculum development. The software "A Virtual Journey within the Rock Cycle", a microworld game, was developed in order to assist junior and senior high school students, who have already learned about the rock-cycle's processes and products, in developing a dynamic and cyclic understanding of the earth's crust system. Preliminary observations indicated that the software induced great enthusiasm, fostered collaborative group work and brought students to recall and reflect upon knowledge previously learned. Additionally, it was found that the teacher's role as a mediator was critical for enabling students to maximally benefit from the software.

Keywords: Education - computer assisted; education - precollege

INTRODUCTION

Developments in the last few years of earth science education can be characterized by a shift towards a systems approach to teaching and curriculum development. This shift can be illustrated by the main theme of a conference, held in Hawaii, "Learning about the Earth as a system" (Former, and Mayer, 1998). This theme was chosen "because it emphasizes the importance of reexamining the teaching and learning of traditional earth science in the context of the many environmental and social issues facing the planet... it is imperative that students at all grade levels and from all cultures have an understanding of how the Earth works" (Fortner, and Mayer, 1998, p.3). Orion (1998) claims that systems-thinking in the context of earth sciences, is a fundamental step in order for students to reach environmental literacy. He claims that understanding the reciprocal relationships within, and between each of the Earth systems i.e., the geosphere, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere and the biosphere (including mankind), will enable students to become thoughtful decisionmakers, concerning environmental issues in the future.

Systems thinking, i.e. the type of thinking needed for understanding systems, have been extensively studied in many domains, including the social sciences, (e.g., Senge, 1998, medicine (e.g., Faughnan and Elson, 1998) psychology (e.g., Emery, 1992), decision making (e.g., Graczyk, 1993), project managing (e.g., Lewis, 1998) and engineering (e.g., Fordyce, 1988). According to O'connor, and McDermott (1997), a system is an entity that maintains its existence and functions as a whole through the interaction of its parts. Systems-thinking according to them, "looks at the whole, and the parts and the connections between the parts..." Frank (1999) regards such thinking, as a higher order thinking skill, and claims that it is an important way of thinking in many scientific and non-scientific domains. The significance of systemic thinking was emphasized by Senge (1998), who claimed that in a world of information explosion, in which systems are becoming more and more complex, systems-thinking is a fundamental skill.

In a study characterizing the specific systems-- thinking required for understanding the rock-cycle (Kali et al., 2003), three elements of general systems-thinking were defined as: a) understanding of the parts of a system, b) understanding the connections between these parts, and c) understanding the system as a whole. Accordingly, it was suggested that in the rock-cycle, the first element (i.e., the parts) involves acquaintance with different materials com rising the crust of the Earth. These materials include different types of rocks, unlithified sediments and magma, as well as the geological processes that produce them. The second element (i.e., relationships) involves understanding causal relationships between specific processes and their input and output products. The third element (i.e., the holistic aspects involves understanding that each out ut product from one process can serve as an input product to another process, so that most material of the crust is recycled through endless chains of processes and products.

In the same study (Kali et al., 2003), it was found that an understanding of the dynamic and cyclic nature of the rock-cycle was not reached by most students at junior high school level, even when they understood all the relevant geological processes and their products. However, a summative knowledge integration activity brought about a meaningful improvement in students' views of the rock-cycle. Following this activity, students became more aware of the dynamic and cyclic nature of the rock-cycle. Moreover, their ability to apply this awareness and construct sequences of processes, representing material significantly improved Kali et al., 2003).

As a result of this study it was decided to develop additional aids for assisting students to integrate their knowledge of the rock-cycle. We searched for a type of activity that would make the dynamic and cyclic nature of the Earth's crust more concrete. One such activity could be for students to follow a journey, such as the one described by Jules Verne in his "Journey to The Center of the Earth", and "participate" in activities such as riding a lava flow. This would certainly "bring alive" the idea of material transformation within the rock-cycle. Although such an educational field trip is, regretfully, beyond the scope of our capabilities, a virtual journey was chosen as a satisfactory alternative and the computer was chosen as the tool for the activity.