11:15 AM - 11:30 AM
[G04-08] Petrology on a beach where only one type of rock is distributed :Izu Peninsula World Geopark Toi Coast Case Study
Keywords:field observation, Izu Peninsula, Geopark, Geoscience Education, STEAM
In order to conduct geoscience outdoor nature classes on riverbanks and beaches, locations where several types of rock boulders are distributed are chosen. However, the presenters conducted a nature field workshop for families of primary schools age and above on 31 July 2021 (Saturday) at Heda-Mihama Cape, Izu Peninsula, on a beach where only one type of andesite had fallen. The background to this outdoor workshop was a request from Shizuoka University and the Visitor Centre Georia in Shuzenji, Izu City, around March of the same year. The geology of this area is a spit of sand deposited by sediment carried by the Suruga Bay currents, and one type of andesite is distributed on one side of the beach, one of the difficult conditions for holding an earth science class. Four parents, five primary school children and one adult (local geoguide) participated in the class. Four activities were conducted at the tip of the cape: Activity 1: sand sampling (two sites); Activity 2: observing vegetation and insects on the move; Activity 3: observing rocks with the naked eye and a loupe; Activity 4: picking up marine debris and explaining the marine litter problem. We prepared for each participant a sand specimen card with satellite images and collection sites printed on it, and a wooden box with an explanatory sheet about andesite. In Activity 1, children collected sand from two different locations, observed it with a loupe and thought about similarities and differences. The children realised that the similarities and differences were in the colour of the sand and the shape characteristics of the grains, and that the differences were in the different sizes of the grains. In Activity 2, which was a small forest about 200 m wide, children observed several types of insects (e.g. black swallowtails) and vegetation. In Activity 3, we did not immediately explain the rocks, asking the children to look at the rocks with the naked eye or a loupe and to tell the instructors if they found any rocks that they thought were unusual. The children held the rocks in their hands and observed them, finding a difference between red and grey andesite, andesite containing megacrystalline plagioclase mottles over 1 cm in size, shape, degree of weathering, crystal size and various other characteristics of the rocks. In activity 4, plastic waste was accidentally washed up on the beach, and as well as collecting the waste, the children were given time to discuss 'what would happen if this waste were broken into smaller pieces'. The development of these four content areas took a total of 60 minutes. If the instructor had held a one-way class, the explanation would have ended with a single sentence: 'The surrounding geology is andesite'. Therefore, instead of a one-way classroom, we conducted a subjective and interactive classroom where the children were encouraged to make observations, discover questions, similarities, differences and unusual features, and report back to the instructor. Furthermore, geology and plants and wildlife are linked in a continuum, and earth systems theory was developed by incorporating observations of plants and insects. In recent years, in STEM/STEAM education in the classroom, it has become important to give students hands-on experience in observation and experimentation, and to have them consider and discuss using data based on their observations and experiments. Even on a beach where only one type of rock had fallen, which would normally be a concern for holding an earth science outdoor classroom, this practice demonstrated that an enjoyable nature observation session could be opened by communicating sufficiently with the children.