Chuck Thornton
Instructor of Geology
"College should be
a fertile field for new ideas and opinions.
It should be a time of growth --a time of testing--of weighing
arguments, facts, and claims...a time of unmasking the false,
revealing the true, and---AND--- finding the myriad shades of possible
truths. By reaffirming old ideas that ring true, and adopting new ideas
that are discovered, one's understanding of the real world grows. So
does your ability to reason through new ideas wherever they are found.
While I only teach science, these are things that make a whole college
experience, and that's what your education is REALLY all about."
--
C.A. Thornton
These
are the classes (with schedules) that I teach. They have NO
PREREQUISITES , and they
will usually satisfy a general laboratory science graduation
requirement
at TJC or a physical lab science/earth science requirement at most
Texas senior
colleges.
Admission is selective only for the Scholars Academy course.
(Please click on any one of these for course description and schedule.)
At the bottom of this page is a question and comment section that can be sent to me.
| Charles A.
(Chuck) Thornton
Office: Genecov 102A |
 |
About me:
I appear in the year 2000 edition of Who's
Who among America's Teachers!
Education:
I'm a *Proud* Junior
College Product!!
with secondary emphasis in biology and
anthropology.
Specialization in paleoecology and
fossil preservation.
Other
Professional Experience:
Formerly Curator of Education, Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History
.
I designed all educational programs offered by the Brazos Valley Museum
of Natural
History and either taught or implemented the instruction of all classes
and activities
held
under the auspices of the Museum.
Along with
a
teaching staff of five to eight
part-time instructors,
outreach by our
education program during my tenure grew from 16,000 to 30,000 patrons
annually.
Fossils and their Preservation
Ecological Relationships Between Fossil Groups
Texas Fossil Localities
Cenozoic Snails and Clams
Teaching Children about Earth Sciences
Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs!!!
Evolutionary Theory
Evolutionary Story of Horses, Whales, Birds, and Primates
Climate Change and Eco-global issues
Philosophy of Science
Philosophical and Spiritual Views of Nature
Courses
I
teach:
Earth Science: Fall and Spring semesters
Physical Geology: Fall semester and Summer1 session
Historical Geology: Spring semester and Summer2 session
Scholars Academy Historical Geology: Spring semesters, offered
irregularly
My
Teaching Philosophy:
I think geology is the "Central Science". A while back I saw a
chemistry
textbook
with that title, but I think that it is geology that ties in with
biology, chemistry,
physics,
and the rest. But then I admit I am biased! I love what I do because I
am excited about
teaching geology---I think geology is very vibrant, and I try to bring
that excitement
to my students!
Part of how I do
this in my physical geology class is
by bringing
props and visual aids to class. By exploring an idea with a model,
concepts are
more concrete, and tend to stick in your mind.
Likewise,
in
historical geology, I try to
accomplish the same goal by
using lots of slides
of animals and plants that we discuss as the main players in the
history of life so that
you get to know them. And of course, I bring a liberal sprinkling of
humor to it all...
'cause after all, geology is fun!
I know
philosophy
statements are supposed to be
very elegant, but my
goal is simple:
I think geology is a fantastic introduction to science, and I want to
transfer some of
that
enthusiasm to you.
Some
of
my favorite books are:
"Upright" by
Craig Stanford
"The Ape in
the Tree" and "The Wisdom of Bones" by Alan
Walker
"Ishmael"
by Daniel Quinn
"Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
"Dwellings" by Linda Hogan
"God's Dog: The North American Coyote" by Hope Ryden
"At The Waters Edge" by Carl Zimmer
"Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence" by Gregory Cajete
"Spiritual Literacy" by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Some
of
my favorite movies are:
The Matrix series
Ghandi
Seven Years in Tibet
Like Water for Chocolate
Raising Arizona
Pleasantville
The Castle
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Groundhog Day