"Between the Idea and the Reality-Falls
the Shadow"
The title is drawn from T. S. Eliot. The idea is t o increase interest in chemistry. The reality is that chemistry registers are static or in most eases they are decreasing. The shadow is due t o many causes. Prominent among them seems to be insufficient enthusiasm and imaeination in teachine. This article describes a program designed t o h n u l a t e teachers and their students through the proper use of demonstrations. This program has been carried out successfully by the Chemical Education Committee of the New York Section of the American Chemical Society, a t present chaired by the author. There are many reasons for using applicable demonstrations in chemistry teaching. They increase interest and often may be used to enliven a topic. Most students are not in the habit of asking questions and frequent demonstrations have proved a useful vehicle in changing student attitudes in this respect. Demonstrations may even he used t o summarize or review various aspects of chemistry. may arise also to investigate reasons for difficulties with any demon. Op~ortunities ~. stration.' Thus. in Mav 1976. we oreanized a series of five lectures entitled. "Demonstrations. a Method for the Teachine of Chemistry." Areas were selected from the outline of wid~lyused svllabi in secondary schuul chm>i9trv.Theit a t r e Atomic Structure, Reamon Kinetics and Equilibrium.'l'he I'eridicTahle, Honding and Electnwhemisrry. 1.erturert were chosen from local university faculties. The lectures were given a t Queens College, CUNY a n the first Saturday of the month from 10 to 12:00 am beginning in November. A registration fee of $10 was requiredand the program wasadvertised in theindicator, the monthly journal of both the New York and North Jersey sections of the ACS, as well as in the mailing of the Chemistry Teachers' Club of New York. We received 123 registrants. The teachers include some traveling from as far as 80 to 100 miles away. Five teachers came from central New Jersey. Three came from Rockland County, upstate New Yolk and the same number came from nearby Connecticut. The first and last of these areas are outside the regions served by the New York and North Jersey Sections of the ACS. Mr. Thomas J. Hayden 111, Chief of the Laboratories in the Chemistry Department of Queens College, CUNY acted as demonstrator. He and the author selected the demonstrations and these were discussed witheach lecturer. In eachcase the lecturer chose suitable demonstrations from the list provided or added others and integrated them with the lecture. A summary of the most important-demonstrations was written and duplicated far each lecture. These materials were distributed t o each person present. Some of the demonstrations were drawn from "Tested Demonstrations in Chemistry." Others were new or taken from more obscure sources. The lectures drew a group of teachers averaging 100 and about 30 students attended as well. After one hour of lecture, we mused for coffee and cake. Manv auestions were asked of the lecturer and the demonstrator. There was a wide exchanee uf ihras about the 10pL and how lo &h it surcessfully. Srudcnt ~ w e s uasked many queaims.The 1 s t punim oithe lertur& passed almost tog, mpidlv. Again a floud of questwns came fmth and we ware neldmn able to end rhe meeting at 1230 pm. At the last lecture, we distributed a questionnaire and conducted discussion ahout the prospective program for the 1977-8 year. There was almost unanimous agreement that the same type of lecture should he continued. Five more lectures were conducted. The topics were Organic Chemistry, The Crystalline State and Crystal Defects, Transition Metal Chemistry, Chemical Equilibrium and Radioactivity in Chemistry. Five more lacal university professors gave the lectures and the same schedule was followed. This time we had 73 registrants and about 50 teachers and 20 students attended each lecture. Copies of the most important demonstrations used will be supplied on receipt of a self-addressed label as well as $0.35 in stamps. Harris, S. P., J. CHEM. EDUC. 54,526 (1977). J o h n Bawne High School 63-25 Main S t r e e t Flushing. New York 11367
Sidney P. Harris
Volume 55, Number 11. November 1978 / 723
