91-4 Using the Construct of Novelty Space to Make Sense of Experiences on Field Trips as a Geologist with Disabilities

Session: Current Advances in Geoscience Education Research

Presenting Author:

Author:

Abstract:

In geology, field trips provide opportunities for students to learn the discipline by communicating through its language and engaging in its practices, all done far from the confines of the classroom. Novel aspects of field experiences can variably be a benefit or a barrier to a student’s learning, depending on the student and the situation. The construct of novelty space is a useful framework for describing the different ways that such trips can involve the unfamiliar; these include the cognitive (e.g., the necessary knowledge of relevant concepts and skills), the geographic (e.g., the location or series of locations), the psychological (e.g., the clarity of expectations for student performance), and the social (e.g., student-to-student or student-to-faculty relationships). In this project, I use novelty space as a way to complete an autoethnography about my experiences on field trips as a geologist with multiple disabilities. This approach involves examining cultural norms by explicating one’s own stories. It is a method that excels in making visible that which can escape observation.

When I first encountered geology as an undergraduate student, I perceived the various novelties of the discipline only as barriers. I had arrived at college carrying the responsibilities and worries of life-long medical concerns as well as hearing and learning disabilities. I knew how to advocate for myself; I lacked trust in how that advocacy would be received by faculty or peers. On geology field trips, I assumed my concerns were primarily mine to manage. At first, I questioned whether geology was worth the effort. But the challenges of geographic and cognitive novelty slowly ebbed with time; I came to see how the science could empower me to pursue interesting questions. Moreover, certain peers and faculty helped decrease the social barriers. But the psychological novelty has been hardest to resolve. Indeed, this project has helped me to accept that that is no longer my goal. Now on field trips, I perceive both the constraints and the values of my disabilities in my career as a geologist.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

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