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A game about plate tectonics
  • Gabriella Salerno
Gabriella Salerno
Istituto Tecnico Statale Carlo Cattaneo

Corresponding Author:prof.gabriella.salerno@gmail.com

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Abstract

I present a game for teaching plate tectonics in the secondary school. The subject of the game is the interactions of plates and phenomena connected to it. The game is composed by cards that represent oceanic or continental lithospheres and a dice that indicated the type of boundary: convergent, divergent or transform. Students, generally in groups, collect “Events Cards”, for example “Earthquake” or “Volcano” or “Oceanic Trench” if they are able to identify the correct event associated to the boundary. The winner is who collects all “Events Cards”. The game is a cognitive model for involving students in a stimulating activity and for applying knowledge acquired in the process of problem-solving. Working in groups is an opportunity of peer to peer learning, where the content transmission occurs ‘horizontally’ with the teacher who acts as facilitator. The sharing of common rules within the class groups has also positive effects on group cohesion, also in contexts outside the school, implying teaching and educational values on social scale.