A v a l a n c h e

C o n t r o l ,

R e s c u e

a n d

E d u c a t i o n

Trip 2 by referenceto processes of changein the snowpack
they have recentlylearned.Studentsincorporate scientific
conceptsinto a theoreticalunderstandingof physicalforces
and their effectsand infer the causesof present conditions
basedontheirunderstanding ofthese forces.Thenthey
re-examinethechangestheyhavedocumentedand
interpret thechanges onthebasisofsnowphysicsand
weatherhistory.Ateachstage,thetasksbecomemore
complex and demanding and the intellectual skills move
to a higherlevel.No otherpart of snowpack study sose-
verely tests the students' abilities--nor so greatly enlarges
and enriches their concepts.

Report4 as a culminating activity

Each of the first four reports presentsa stage in the investi-
gation of the snowpack,and each will remain as an inte-
gral part of the final report. Report 4 builds on information
in the earlier reports. Although it is not a cumulative report
and it does not replacethe earlier reports, it correctserrors
in them and synthesizes some information in them.

Learning to handle complexities

Although the students in this course arenot trained in sci-
ence, they must quickly learn to use scientific procedures
and scientificknowledge(the concepts,the techniques,the
terminology, andtheobservationalskills). After aminimum
of instruction,they must learn to handle the new writing
problemsthat technical reports present:selecting appro-
priatescientificmaterial,organizingitaccordingtoa
specified form, developingtheir ideas fully, writingclearly

and correctly. It is a big order.
At this point, some students begin to feel overwhelmed
by the complexity ofthis assignment and the demands of
sciencewriting. I helpthem dealwith gettingstuckby shar-
ing techniquesfor coping: recognizingtheproblem, writing
it out, considering parallelproblems, and so on. Withthis
help, they learn how to deal effectively with difficulties.

Style in the technical reports

One of the greatest challenges forstudents ismaking the
transitionfromstudent-basedand classroom-basedwrit-
ing to professional writing.Learning to be objective,con-
cise,and directentails aradicalchange ofstyle.Ihelp
students developa techniqueappropriate for technicaland
scientific writing bygiving themboth general principles
and specificinstances, aswell asdetailed specifications
foreach report.In these ways, students are encouragedto
learn a professional style to replace their habitual mode of
classroom writing.

Noting limitations of the technical reports

Ineach ofthe technical reports,Iencourage students to
acknowledge the limitations of theirstudy,such as those
imposed by time and cold weather as well as by their lack
of knowledge andexperience.An essentialelement intheir
learning isstatingthese limitationsdirectly andspecifi-
cally, but without apology, as shown in this excerpt from a
student report:
This study was limited bythe brief time availablefor
the first field trip (30 minutes),bythe cold weatherand

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inadequate clothingofthe observers,and byourlack of
knowledge and experience.
In writing this way, students practice the humility and
honesty essential in sciencewriting.
Report 4brings toa close the technical portion of the
snowpack study unit.

PHASE 5.REFLECTING AND ASSESSING

With the work entailed by the second set of field observa-
tions now completed and Reports 1 through 4 revised and
edited, studentshavecompletedthetechnicalportion of the
snowpackstudy unit.They nowbeginto reflectontheir per-
sonaldevelopment duringthisunit.Theyconsidertheir
role as members of the scientificcommunity, suchas devel-
oping the habits ofinquiring and observing, searchingfor
objectivedata, andreportingtoprofessionalpeers.They
also contemplatetheir attitudes,values, andgoals, andtheir
skill at handlinginterpersonal relationshipsas well as their
own feelings.
As the students turn their attention to their intellectual
journey during the snowpack study unit,they are guided
by Research Question 5:
How have you moved from unawarenessof snow to in-
formed interpretation and reporting of snowpack charac-
teristics?
This report encourages students to contrast their unin-
formed and informed observations of a snowpack and thus
gain perspective on their learning.
Thesourceforthepersonalreflectionsthatstudents
present in Report 5 is a series of journal entries they have
written.Throughout the semester,I had them write brief
notes abouttheir thoughtsandfeelingsandto preservethem
foreventualuseinaculminatingessay.Earlyinthe
snowpack study unit,students write in response to ques-
tions such as, "Whatdid you know about snow before you
came into this course? How did you feel about it?"; "What
went right during the first field trip? Why?";and "What
went wrong? What could you do nexttime tomake itgo
better?" Later, they reflect on theirchangingperspectives
and abilities byanswering questions such as "How were
things different in your first and second field trips? Were
youmoreinterested orless?"Thesejournal entries help
students recapitulate the unit from theirindividual point
of view.
The journal entries are the rawmaterial for Report 5. To
help students convert their journal writing into a focused
essay,Ihave themanswer aset ofquestionsaboutwhat
they learned during the snowpack study unit:
What have been the differences in your understanding
of a snowpack and of technical writing at these stages:

Stage 1:Beforeinstructionorguidanceinthiscourse
[casualobservation, sport, work, indifference,etc.]

Stage 2:Preparation for the field trip [lecture and demon-
stration]

Stage 3:Guided observation during Field Trip 1

Stage 4:Reportinginitial observations of a snowpack[writ-
ing,reviewing,andrewritingReport1;include
peer review of others'reports]