Chemistry, experiment, and theory (Segal, Bernice G.)

sonally find this the most difficult part of the entire package, hut ... and programmer. I would like to ... minimal C3S1 SO re~rhers could get a feel...
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have my student choose the silent version. The game aspect of the program has a "mole" catching meteors from space. I personally find this the most difficult part of the entire package, hut I have seen my students do very well. The length of time one gets to play depends upon the speed with which the three questions are answered. Forty pages of the documentation are educational notes. I t is obvious from these notes that Groves is a master classroom teacher as well as a good program designer and programmer. I would like to quote from the philosophical introduction t o these notes: "Effective instruction must he a human activity. The teacher and student must work together in a human way if the student is going t o learn effectively new concepts and skills. The teacher, especially in this day of technical innovation and increasing use of visual and sound media, must pay attention to maintaining the human aspect of teaching and learning." These programs are not designed t o he simply another computer program but are designed to become part of a teacher's plan t o teach this concept, which students often find difficult. Groves gives several pages of notes to show a teacher how he approaches the teaching of the mole concept. Since his style is very similar t o mine, I will have no difficulty in adapting this program for use in my classroom. I would like to see "weight" changed t o "mass." Also he refers t o Avogadross number rather than Avogadro's constant. These are very minor criticisms. I helieve the list of prerequisite concepts should be an a handout t o students. I t is goad for the teacher t o have this, but I feel such information should he available to students. I also believe that the behavioral objectives list should he given to students. According to the instructions, if there are insufficient computers for the class (5-15 for a class of 30), groups of students can rotate through work stations. Materials are provided to aid this plan. Another thing which Groves suggests is a way these programs could he used for home study. I think we will see more and more of this type of computer use in the future. Pages 17-51 of the teaching materials include overhead masters, test questions with answers, work prohlems, card activities, work sheets, and a laboratory activity. The test questions could he machine copied without having t o be retyped. The overhead masters are printed on one side only, so there is nonhleed through" of the back side when copied. This is just another example of the care with which this package was put together. Is this package oerfect? No. but i t comes closer than most sottwnre on ;he mnrket today. The iollorvmg are wme ruggestions which Grows mrght cumider in futurr rrvisions o i these programs. I do not like t o have to go thnmgh the entire introductory sertron and 1