Chemistry is Not a Spectator Sport James M. Garrett Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX 75962
My organic chemistry class was somewhat shocked when
I recently announced with a straight face that I was leaving the teaching profession to pursur >I long-held dream, a career in professional ire bkatiny. I ilm c r r f i ~ i nthat my students thoueht mv decision arose~atworst from temoorarv, insanitv or at hest from a tourh of the midlift! uriv.ies. 1 (lid mtntiun the fact that I have heen on the icen t m l o f f m r timt:s in my liie but that I was confident such ieats as midair spins, parft,ct landings and skating backward were all quite simple. You see, I have watched world-class figure skating on television and all of those maneuvers look very easy! By the time I reached the conclusion of my discourse, utter astonishment had been transformed into uncontrollable lauahter. I then oointed out that perhapsa touch of sarrnsm lwtwnw more truth tnan one micht realile. How many of 1 h ~ nh;~d 1 drawn similar runrlusions concerning the learning of reaction mechanisms or the working of problems in retrosvnthetic analvsis bv having watched me go through the ieasoning pr&esseB on the chalkboard? The more I have contemplated the juxtaposition of the terms "chemistw" and "soort." the more I realize the vastness of the reservoir of analogies and allegories that are available. It is perhaps ironic that the birthplace of patriarchs of scientific thought such as Aristotle, Plato, Leucippus, and Democritus also conceived the Olympic Games. We all have a t some time been quite satisfied merely to he spectators. AU too often those of us who are overweight and/or out of shape flock to stadiums or arenas to see players who are in shape perform. Sports that once provided outlets for exercise have for many become simply a means of entertainment. Armchair quarterbacks who try to second guess the coach on Saturday or Sunday then become armchair students on Monday who are perfectly willing to sit hack and watch their instructors perform without becoming involved themselves. Just as people associated with professional or world-class amateur sports make their tasks appear effbrtless, so can the chemistry instructor who is well prepared for a class. In this ~~
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respect, polished lectures can become counterproductive. How often does one hear one's students lamentina a lack of oreo. . aration f m a n t,xam by saying;.. . . hut it lcx,krd st, cans> when suu put it on thv hlnrkbonrd . . .and I thnwht I undrrstood it n&feetlv,well! ?" Any hopesitn instructor niinht have of re\,etsingsush trends lie in his or her ability to recognize the pruhlem and then 10 &I s ~ m e t h i n gconstructive a h 1 1 it. In mv own classroom I openly talk about obvious parallels between chemistry and various sports pointing out that just as a reasonable exercise program is required for becoming physically fit, so is a reasonable study schedule for becoming mentally fit. I then attemot to caoitalize on these similarities to sneeest wavs mv, students may impruve their own periormanues i u chemistrv. In the role of coach-motivnrur. 1 sua~restthat thev consider the following points to aid t h e m a s && go through such exercises. ~
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I urge them to concentrate on the fundamentals. If they spend sufficient time in repeated drill on the basics, when the exam comes, their responses will be almost instinctive. I warn them not to expect overnight success. The building of a strong understanding of chemistry takes time. I implore them to develop reasonable and consistent workout schedules. I remind them that practice builds confidence hut that overconfidence or unwarranted confidence can be disastrous. I encourage them to work on developing a healthy, positive attitude toward the subject. I point out that in their preparing for an exam, they should strive to he in the best shape they can as early as they can hut to gear their psychological clocks so they will not "peak" prematurely.
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Perhaps such an open outline to my approach will trigger similar analogies and/or allegories on the part of readers for use in their classrooms. I would welcome their comments concerning the handling of similar situations.
Volume 62
Number 7 July 1985
591
