A Companion Course in General Chemistry for Pre-Education Students

In the Classroom

A Companion Course in General Chemistry for Pre-Education Students Teresa Larson and Catherine Hurt Middlecamp* Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706; *[email protected]

As part of their undergraduate program, students preparing to become teachers at the primary or secondary level usually must fulfill a laboratory science requirement. Predictably, chemistry is on the list of courses from which they may choose. Both to entice them to select chemistry and to provide a set of learning experiences that connect with their future careers as teachers, we developed a companion course. In addition, the New Traditions Project provided an impetus for this course, with its assertion that “student active learning flourishes when similar learning experiences are shared among a group of familiar cohorts” (1). In this paper, we will first review the terminology used to describe such courses, referring to the relevant literature. Next we will describe the two courses that we paired in the context of our institutional setting, and provide examples of curricular materials and student work. Finally we will discuss the outcomes and our strategies for the future. Background The term companion course is used informally to refer to any course that is designed to accompany another, but not necessarily required of all students. For example, when the laboratory portion of a chemistry course is an elective taught separately from the lecture, this could be considered a companion course. In our case, we created a one-credit course as an elective for pre-education majors as a companion to a large five-credit general chemistry course. As described in the literature, the term learning community has much in common with our creating a companion course. While the term learning community is widely used, it does not have a unique meaning. In most general terms, learning communities are set up to address perceived difficulties in the undergraduate experience: large classes, student isolation, and a fragmented curriculum (2). One of the earliest uses of the term learning community was at our own university where Alexander Meiklejohn established an Experimental College in 1927. By having students enroll in a common set of classes, he hoped to address the “fragmentation of courses” in the first two years of college study (3). The term learning community is currently used to refer to one of several related scenarios. For example, students may co-enroll in a set of paired courses, as we describe here. Similarly, several separate courses may be integrated to form a triad or a course cluster (4). The term also may refer to a livinglearning community that extends the classroom experience into residence halls and the wider campus (5). Variations in the types of learning communities arise naturally with respect to differing goals for a particular course. A recent book, Creating Learning Communities, provides an excellent overview of the rationale for learning communities and their types and models (2). To our knowledge, no articles have been published in this Journal that relate specifically to learning communities in chemistry.

Institutional Setting The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a statesupported land-grant university with approximately 40,000 students, 70% of whom are in undergraduate programs. Each fall brings approximately 5,800 new undergraduate students to campus, with nearly 2,500 of these students enrolling in general chemistry. Most of these students enroll because of a requirement for their program or major, although a smaller number elect to take chemistry to fulfill a laboratory science requirement. Pre-education students fall in this latter group. Chemistry 108 is a one-semester course designed for non-science majors. It includes three lectures a week, two discussion sections, and a two-hour laboratory. The course aims to capture the interests of its audience by having a real world flavor, and in recent years has been taught using Chemistry in Context (6), a project of the American Chemical Society. Chemistry 108 is offered both fall and spring semesters, however the companion course is offered only during fall semester since education majors typically enroll in the fall. Enrollment in Chemistry 108 for the fall semester is about 200 students, including students of all majors from the College of Letters and Science (25–30%). Additionally, there are prenursing students (~20%) who are required to take this course, and pre-education students (5–10%) who have selected it as their laboratory science course. In reality, the number of preeducation students is likely to be at least double this, as these students usually do not declare a major as first-year students. Typically the course is 75% female, which reflects the sex distribution in both the nursing and pre-elementary education programs. Student Clientele Any student enrolled in Chemistry 108 who is considering a major in education is eligible to join the paired course, Chemistry 299. Students are actively recruited for this course through advisors in the School of Education. Before the start of each fall semester, letters are sent to incoming freshmen informing them of the program, co-signed by the course instructor and a dean in the School of Education. The opening paragraphs of this letter, reprinted in Figure 1, show the rationale for the paired course and demonstrate the case we make to students for taking chemistry over some other science. Students are also recruited during the summer orientation and registration program conducted for incoming students and their parents. Most students in Chemistry 299 are freshmen or sophomores and have had no formal education coursework. However, most report prior experiences working with children: baby-sitting, volunteering in schools, participating in summer programs, helping younger siblings, tutoring, and mentoring. When asked at the start of the semester about their interest in teaching, roughly half reported that one or both of their parents were teachers and that the stories and experiences their

JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 80 No. 2 February 2003 • Journal of Chemical Education

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In the Classroom

Summer 2001 Dear incoming student, If you would like to enroll in a course together with other students who are interested in elementary or secondary education, please keep reading. In Fall 2000, we again are offering a Learning Community, and you may be eligible to join. As part of the requirements for an education major, you need to take 9 credits of science, including one physical science and one biological science. In addition, one of your courses must offer a lab. This letter is to suggest that, in order to meet your requirements, you join with other elementary and secondary education majors taking a chemistry course this fall. Chemistry???? Yes, chemistry, and there are several reasons why. First, if you enroll in a designated section of Chemistry 108 this fall, you can be part of the “Learning Community”. A learning community is a group of about 20 students with similar interests, in this case, teaching. Your Teaching Assistant will be hand-picked as one who shares your interest. Second, in Chemistry 108 you will experience many of the learning processes that you may wish to use one day when you are a teacher. These include collaborative learning exercises, multimedia in the classroom, and use of the world wide web. Third, Chemistry 108 is designed for students like you. You will explore a variety of issues relevant to the environment, your life, and your health. Students from previous years have given the course an excellent rating and were glad that they took it. … (closing text of letter, signed jointly by Chemistry and School of Education)

Figure 1. Text of the letter sent to incoming freshmen regarding the paired course option.

parents shared with them were a major influence in their decision to become a teacher. Typically, students are interested in teaching the same grades their parents taught, with most planning to become elementary school teachers. However, as the class size has grown over the three years in which it has been taught, the course now attracts students considering prekindergarten and secondary education as well. The smaller number of secondary education students is to be expected. Secondary education students are required to complete fairly extensive coursework in chemistry, which includes a full year of general chemistry. As a course for nonscience majors, Chemistry 108 would not be enough to fulfill this requirement. However, there have been students in the learning community who have decided that they want to pursue a degree for the secondary level, and have proceeded to switch tracks and take the second semester of general chemistry. The Paired Course To avoid the lengthy procedures involved in setting up a new course, we designated the paired course with a

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preexisting course number for directed study, Chemistry 299. Students may enroll in this course for one credit with the permission of the instructor. The paired course meets weekly for one hour, and there are no additional textbooks or assigned readings. All students taking it enroll in the same discussion and laboratory section of Chemistry 108. The instructor of the paired course, one of the authors (TL), is a recent college graduate with degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology. As an undergraduate, she also completed the state requirements for a teaching certificate for grades 6–12 in chemistry and biology. During her studies, she served as a teaching assistant in the Department of Chemistry and she is continuing to teach as part of her graduate studies. In designing the companion course for education majors, we intended that students would: •

Form a learning community with students who want to become teachers.

•

Connect concepts from Chemistry 108 with ideas to be used in their future classrooms.

•

Utilize the resources of the teaching profession.

•

Develop a more positive attitude towards the subject of chemistry.

•

Deepen their understanding of chemical principles.

Making connections lies at the heart of learning communities: students should be able to see the connections between different disciplines, and knowledge should not be compartmentalized. We assumed that students would be likely to benefit when they could interact with others having similar interests and career goals and could share their experiences, questions, doubts, fears, and hopes about their future profession. In making these connections, we also wanted our students to be prepared to do chemistry classroom activities when they became teachers. Thus, our students had to connect the chemistry they were learning with what they would do in the future as a teacher. In essence, we hoped that showing students the excitement and fun involved with teaching chemistry would promote a positive classroom environment no matter what grade level they eventually taught. Ultimately, through a course such as Chemistry 299, we also hoped to make a modest contribution towards improving science teacher education at our institution. As pointed out in a recent publication by the National Research Council, “Scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and teacher educators all need to share responsibility for teacher preparation” (7). We support this idea by providing future teachers an opportunity to acquire a broader knowledge base, and in turn become more effective in the classroom.

Syllabus The course syllabus, shown in Figure 2, involves students in: (1) doing hands-on science activities designed for elementary school teachers, (2) investigating resources available to teachers, and (3) designing classroom chemistry activities. The first two sections introduce students to high quality resources and acquaint them with the abilities of elementary and secondary school students. These are intended to prepare Chemistry 299 students to do original work in the third sec-

Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 80 No. 2 February 2003 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu

In the Classroom

Welcome to Chemistry 299 and the Chemistry Education Learning Community! Course Syllabus During the semester you will: •

Learn about science activities that are geared toward children.

•

Learn basic strategies for educating young students in science.

•

Discover technology and resources available to teachers.

•

Incorporate your personal knowledge of chemistry into educational activities.

Course Section Hands-on Activities

In Class This Week Introductions; Sharing personal teaching experience; Distribution of Super Science Connections (SSC)

Homework Assignment Choose SSC activity to have class perform

SSC activity presentations

Investigating Resources

Group discussion: How to design a chemistry-based activity

Locate and read a science education-based periodical; Analyze content and uses

Group Discussion: Science education periodicals; Present findings to group

Internet search: find three science education Web sites; Analyze validity and content

Group Discussion: Use of Internet in the classroom and as a resource; Present findings from Web search Lecture: Useful strategies for teaching chemistry; Discuss means for assessing students

Designing Activities

Activity Workshop 1: Assign groups for activity design; Brainstorm ideas for activities

Work on activities as needed

Activity Workshop 2: Begin rough drafts of activities

Work on drafts as needed

Activity Workshop 3: Begin work on final drafts of activities

Complete writing activities; Prepare presentation

Student Presentation: Present one original activity to group; Hand in final drafts

Prepare presentation

Student presentations, continued Final Meeting: Distribution of activity booklet and compiled list of useful journals and Web sites

Guest speakers and field trips are scheduled at various times throughout the course.

Figure 2. Chemistry 299 syllabus.


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tion. Designing chemistry activities is intentionally at the end of the semester so that students have learned enough content in Chemistry 108 to successfully complete the assignment. Guest speakers or special events may be included throughout, depending on their availability in a given semester. In the first section of the course, students present chemistry activities for children to the entire class. Each student selects one activity from Super Science Connections (SSC) (8), a manual produced by the Institute for Chemical Education and used at teacher workshops for elementary school teachers. Each activity contains the following: a supply checklist, activity procedure, scientific background, ways to extend the topic into other areas of study, and connections to tie the topic to other resources such as children’s books. Occasionally a worksheet for students is included for a particular activity. In the second section, students familiarize themselves with resources available for teachers. This requires several weeks, as students explore both journals and Internet Web sites. For the former, students are asked to find a periodical related to science education, select a particular article or feature, and then present their findings to the class. As a group, the students discuss the quality of the publication based upon its contents, audience, and quality. Group discussions about the wide variety of publications available demonstrate the importance of being critical when deciding if a source of information is useful. For example, journals devoted to theory and research may not be as helpful to an elementary school teacher as ones that contain useful activities and practical ideas for the classroom. This format is repeated for the latter, except additional criteria are used in evaluating Web sites: the layout and design of the site, the inclusion of multimedia and interactive activities, and the links provided to other sites. Both the journals and the Web sites that the students review are compiled and distributed to the class. In the final section of the course, students design activities of their own. They work together in small groups (3–5 students) based upon the grade level they plan to teach. Smallgroup work allows students to brainstorm ideas for topics and to discuss the logistics involved. Small groups also allow the instructor to provide individual attention, particularly with respect to the chemistry involved in their activities. The outcome of this section is not a traditional lesson plan that a teacher would prepare for a class, but rather a precursor or a component of one. At the end of the semester, the class activities are compiled into a booklet, with the intention that students may be able to incorporate the material into a future lesson plan. Throughout the course, an attempt is made to teach simultaneously at several levels. The first and primary level is, of course, the topic of the day, such as the mechanics of doing an activity from SSC. But the class is set up to simultaneously demonstrate how teacher preparation impacts on how successfully instruction occurs. For example, while doing a hands-on classroom activity from SSC, a group of students was asked to present it to the class without trying it out beforehand. This quickly led to a discussion on a second level about what can happen if one comes unprepared. As much as possible, the class also was taught on a metacognitive level (9) calling attention to the actual class processes. For example, throughout the semester the instructor modeled good teach168

Figure 3. Blubber Bag Activity, adapted from Super Science Connections.

ing practices such as leading small-group activities and encouraging active learning (10), taking time to reflect on these practices during the class. During the activity designing section of the course, students were reminded to think about how a subject might be taught, asking themselves what process might help a student understand a particular chemical concept. Connections to Chemistry 108 The chemical content taught in Chemistry 108 provides the basis for the chemical activities designed by the students in their paired course. For example, the chapter “Food for Thought” in Chemistry in Context includes a section on fats and oils (6). This topic can be tied to the Blubber Bag activity in SSC, reprinted in part in Figure 3. This activity addresses the concept of fats from the perspective of what they look and feel like, and how they can protect an animal from the cold. Prior to taking Chemistry 108, a student may not understand how a fat is different from a protein or carbohydrate, and why fats can be expected to do the things discussed in the Blubber Bag activity. Similarly, in the context of how soaps work and can be made in the lab, Chemistry 108 students learn that soaps are produced from fats, why a base is required, and how different types of molecules may or may not dissolve in water. Through an understanding of these and related concepts, students may feel better prepared to explain how soap acts to dissolve grease and why some soaps tend to be a bit caustic. Density is a concept that is revisited several times throughout Chemistry 108. For example, early in the course students learn that dense materials such as lead (or even gold) can shield nuclear radiation. Later, they learn that oil slicks


In the Classroom

Pre-special Education Major 11% Pre-secondary Education Major 7%

No Information 16%

Elementary Education Major 21%

Undecided 5% Received Certification 11%

Other 14% Education Majors 65% Pre-elementary Education Major 50% Figure 4. Distribution of declared majors by former Chemistry 299 students as of May 2001. This includes data for all 43 students who have taken Chemistry 299.

Figure 5. Distribution of specific majors chosen by the 65% of former Chemistry 299 students that are still pursuing education (n = 28).

are a less dense liquid floating on a more dense one and that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are more dense than air yet still can become mixed throughout the atmosphere. Density is also encountered in the study of polymers when students consider the molecular structures of high- and low-density polyethylene. Because Chemistry 108 students encounter density in so many contexts, it is not surprising that many of the activities designed in the learning community are written about this concept. As mentioned earlier, most students enrolled in Chemistry 299 are intending to teach elementary school. For this reason, the students were encouraged to design their chemistry activities in a way that utilized the senses of sight, sound, touch, or smell when appropriate. In general, elementary school children need to develop familiar categories through which they can comprehend chemistry on the molecular level (11). The Blubber Bag activity (see Figure 3) is one such example that uses touch. Therefore, chemical phenomena were explained in a tangible manner wherever possible. Web skills from Chemistry 108 also connected with activities in the paired course. For example, at the beginning of Chemistry 108, students visited award-winning sites such as WebElements: http://www.webelements.com (accessed Sep 2002); and large governmental sites such as the EPA: http:// www.epa.gov (accessed Sep 2002); and NASA: http:// www.nasa.gov (accessed Sep 2002), in order to establish criteria for evaluating Web-based materials. In Chemistry 299, these same criteria were applied to Web sites containing educational resources for teachers. For example, one Web site selected often by Chemistry 299 students has been the Challenger Center for Space Education: http://www.challenger.org (accessed Sep 2002); sponsored by the families of the Challenger Space Shuttle crew. This site states, “When it comes to reaching today’s students —tomorrow’s leaders—education is everyone’s business” (12). Although not specifically a chemistry site, nonetheless it is an excellent source of information for any science teacher.

One student described the strengths of the site with these comments: “visually stimulating; current information; gives lessons and research information; etc.”. The weaknesses reported included, “I spent a lot of time downloading [the site]; not all the information is right there”. At the same time students are discovering the wealth of information on the Web, they are also encouraged in both courses to view this material with a critical eye for its accuracy, scope, and currency. Outcomes and Future Directions As we mentioned at the outset, students enrolled in the paired course expressed an intent to major in education, but had not yet taken formal coursework or been admitted to the School of Education. Obviously, in setting up this paired course, our hopes were that students would continue with their interest in teaching, gain admission to the School of Education and complete a degree in education. In four semesters to date, 43 students have completed Chemistry 299 and currently another 22 are enrolled. Of those who have completed the course, 65% (28 students) are currently still pursuing a degree in education or have already completed one (Figure 4). Students listed as “other” (6 students) are any non-education majors. The 7 students who could not be located in the University of Wisconsin–Madison databases were labeled “no information”. Of the 28 students who are still in education, Figure 5 shows the distribution of their majors. Not surprisingly, 71% (20 students) are interested in elementary education. Pre-secondary education students would be expected to enroll in a two-semester sequence rather than Chemistry 108. At the outset, the paired course was funded through a curriculum reform grant from the National Science Foundation (Establishing New Traditions: Revitalizing the Curriculum). In 2000, funding from the College of Letters and Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison was secured for the paired course. In the years ahead, we hope the enrollment will continue to grow. However, if the number of secondary


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education students increases, it may become necessary to divide the class into sections, one focusing on elementary education and the other on secondary. At this time there are no plans to accommodate special education as it relates to science teaching. Acknowledgments This work has been supported by the National Science Foundation through grant number DUE-9455928, Establishing New Traditions: Revitalizing the Curriculum, awarded to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The authors would also like to thank Kathleen Shanks, and Gery Essenmacher, the General Chemistry Coordinator, for support in creating Chemistry 299, and the Dean of the College of Letters and Science for the continuing funding. Literature Cited 1. Landis, C. R.; Peace, G. E.; Sharberg, M. A.; Branz, S.; Spencer, J. N.; Ricci, R. W.; Zumdahl, S. A.; Shaw, D. J.Chem. Educ. 1998, 75, 741. 2. Shapiro, Nancy S.; Levine, Jodi H. Creating Learning Communities, 1st ed.; Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA, 1999. 3. Meiklejohn, A. The Experimental College (edited and abridged by J. W. Powell, 1981); Seven Locks Press: Cabin John, MD, 1932.

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4. MacGregor, J. In Strategies for Energizing Large Classes: From Small Groups to Learning Communities; MacGregor, J.; Cooper, J. L.; Smith, K. A.; Robinson, P., Eds. New Directions in Teaching and Learning 81; Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA, 2000; 1–16, 25–46, and 77–88. 5. Allen, C. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering 1999, 5(3), 265–277. 6. Stanitski, C.; Eubanks, L. P.; Middlecamp, C.; Stratton, W. Chemistry in Context, 3rd ed.; McGraw-Hill: Dubuque, IA, 2000. 7. National Research Council. Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology; National Academy Press: Washington, DC, 1999. 8. Smith, J. Super Science Connections; The Institute for Chemical Education, University of Wisconsin–Madison, WI, 1995. 9. Hennessey, M. G. Probing the Dimensions of Metacognition: Implications for Conceptual Change Teaching–Learning. http:// www2.educ.sfu.ca/narstsite/conference/hennessey/hennessey.html (accessed Sep 2002). 10. Zhang, H; Alex, N. K. Oral Language Development Across the Curriculum, K–12. http://www.ed.gov/databases/ ERIC_Digests/ed389029.html (accessed Sep 2002). 11. Gelman, S. A. A Context for Learning. Concept Development in Preschool Children. http://www.project2061.org/newsinfo/ earlychild/context/gelman.htm (accessed Sep 2002). 12. Challenger Center Online. http://www.challenger.org (accessed Sep 2002).


A Companion Course in General Chemistry for Pre-Education Students

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