Mineral Supertrumps: A new card game to assist learning of mineralogy

Abstract:

Mineralogy is considered one of the cornerstone subjects of geoscience curriculum. It provides the basic information from which we can understand the composition and behaviour of Earth and planetary materials, yet many students struggle to obtain adequate comprehension and knowledge of mineralogy during tertiary degree programs. Here, I introduce a new card game called “Mineral Supertrumps” that can be used to assist teaching of mineralogy at secondary and tertiary level. The card game is easy to learn and play, and is designed to promote active learning in a group environment. The game involves 3 to 6 people, and is similar to the “Top Trumps™” card games. The pack consists of 54 mineral cards, and 6 supertrump cards. Each mineral card includes information about the mineral such as the generic chemical formula, the classification, crystal system, the geological environment where the mineral is commonly found or formed, as well as information in the five playing categories (or trumps) of Hardness, Specific Gravity, Cleavage, Crustal Abundance, and Economic Value. The first three playing categories relate to distinct physical properties of the mineral, while last two categories rate the importance of the mineral in terms of abundance in the Earth’s crust and value to modern societies.

Results of a formal evaluation of the game by students in the second year of a tertiary geology program indicate that the game has clear benefits for learning about mineralogy. The majority of students enjoyed playing the game and considered it to be effective for enhancing learning about mineral properties and their application to other Earth Science disciplines. Therefore, inclusion of “Mineral Supertrumps” into Earth Science curriculum at secondary or tertiary level has the potential to redress the difficulties students face in learning of mineralogy, while requiring little to no adjustment to existing teaching programs.