Abstract: Facing challenges derived from progress of human society and science and technology, especially state’s development and education improvement of China, educational reform of high-education on geology becomes greatly urgent. Focusing on the topics of teaching reform of physical geology in the meeting of Geosciences Education 2020, we outline our viewpoints in two aspects based on long-term teaching practice and scientific research: 1. Aim and task of physical geology teaching; 2. Principal purposes for teaching physical geology. Beginning with characteristics of Earth science and its teaching, this paper proposes the core value and function of physical geology teaching and further discusses three key aspects for improving the teaching. The three key aspects concern teaching team, aim and positioning, and teaching contents and methods. In conclusion, the overall purpose for the teaching is to build up the broad foundation for students, cultivate and promote their interest in Earth science and, finally, lead them to devote themselves to innovation of Earth science.

Key words: universal knowledge structure, core value and function, interest cultivation, celestial earth system, geological thinking