it looks like you can have another week to study up on the crystal forms , but you can still come and check out the chats , see how things work and maybe learn things too
Last Saturdays chatlog is posted at http://yey.be/chatlogs/jan2008exam.cgi .
I wanted to delete a lot of the conversation as it was more distracting than helpful, but I decided it was not worth the effort (mostly because I am really pissed off).
I hope next time people will stay on topic and follow directions given by Annie and me (if not I will enforce it).
_________________ Proud to be a DSN and JTV shopper, just love the guys!
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:42 pm Posts: 4091 Location: the Netherlands
We'll be good Doos, please don't be angry... It's our enthousiasm for gemology that causes excitement... The presence of fellow gemmo's isn't something we all expierence every day.
We'll behave next saturday...
WON'T WE GUYS?!:smt066
The exam question under discussion in the log is very interesting, as it is the same "discovery process" type question I've written and received very often. The question is meant to lead the student by the nosering along a path of discovery. One can construct very beautiful problems in this format, but the format presents major difficulties for students unprepared for it.
The exam question under discussion is precisely written, and follows a nice logic. But the first difficulty students encounter with this type question is that they try to read too much into it. The next difficulty students encounter is that, if they start off on the wrong foot, then the question's logic can be lost completely.
For an example of reading too much into the question, consider part (a) of the exam question, which states "examine specimen." Students think, well I have all these tools available, so let's throw them all into the mix. Note however, the question does not say "examine the specimen's spectrum" or "examine the dichroscope image of the specimen". Presumably, the only tool to use to "examine the specimen" is a loupe.
For an example of losing the logic of the question, we need to first follow the question's logic: Part (a) says conduct a visual examination. Part (b) implies that the visual examination should be enough to identify the stone, and its scoring suggests that identification is trivial. Given the tools (other than the loupe) at hand, part (c) suggests one or both will provide confirmation of identity. Then part (d) is a "relate this specific example to the broader knowledge base". Also part (d) hints that the specimen's spectrum is what best confirms identity.
Now, if a student discusses the spectroscope and dichroscope in part (a), then the logic of subsequent parts is lost. This become apparent in part (c) as the student is left wondering should they discuss all possible tests... should they talk about the specimen's SG and RI and FTIR spectrum and NMR results? And since they don't have the tools to do those tests, how do they know which test provides confirmation of identity?
Lastly, part (d) once again invites reading too much into it. You can easily provide more than requested... if you start describing why an element produces colors you won't gain marks, and if you make a mistake in your description you could lose marks.
The "discovery process" question is a mainstay of my advanced courses. But I gave up using this format in my introductory courses. After I've given an exam, I discuss it in the next lecture. In the introductory courses, discussion of this type question inevitably degenerates into worse than what you see in the log. It takes no time to explain the correct answer, but it takes so very long to explain why 20 or 30 other answers are incorrect.
I was following a thread on another forum (where I am not permitted to post) concerning freshwater vs. saltwater cultured pearls and it really disturbed me. Are you interested in a more indepth answer on how freshwater pearls are cultivated as the topic for coming Saturdays chat?
_________________ Proud to be a DSN and JTV shopper, just love the guys!
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