A Chemistry Course for Elementary Education Majors - ACS Publications

Chemistry Everyday for Everyone

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chemistry for kids

Linda Woodward The University of Southwestern Louisiana Lafayette, LA 70504

A Chemistry Course for Elementary Education Majors What Is Possible When the Chemistry and Education Departments See Eye to Eye Paul B. Kelter* Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0304 Kathleen Jacobitz Howard Hughes Medical Institute Office, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588 Elizabeth Kean Teachers College, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588 Aurietha Hoesing Omaha Public Schools, 3255 Cumming Street, Omaha, NE 68132 The relationship between departments of chemistry and departments of education is sometimes strained or occasionally hostile. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that meeting the science learning needs of new or experienced teachers requires that these often opposing educational forces find common ground and establish ways to work together in a synergistic relationship. Forging solid working relationships between professional chemists and educators of teachers is beneficial in terms of the content and process of teacher education. Such relationships are also becoming a prerequisite for getting state and federal funding. For example, the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education requires “a joint effort of that [teacher education] program and the school or department of a specialized discipline [chemistry, in our case] in which the professional development would be provided” (1). The Federal Eisenhower Title II funding focus is also shifting from inservice (with practicing teachers) to preservice (with prospective teachers). All these changes mean that chemistry faculty will develop closer ties with teacher education faculty in a joint desire to improve education. In this paper we discuss the collaboratively planned and taught University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) course Chemistry 195, Chemistry for Elementary Education Majors. The three-credit course, one of four science courses developed for elementary education majors at UNL, was developed with funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the university.

to those who would go on to teach young children. About 86% of the UNL elementary education students are women, equal to the national percentage currently teaching at the kindergarten-through-sixth-grade level. Most of our elementary education majors have had high school chemistry. The major tends to draw students who are not strong in mathematics and science, although they often have excellent academic work habits. Many bring to the class a longstanding fear and loathing of science. To find out what chemistry understanding the students come in with, we ask them a series of written takehome questions to be answered after the first class meeting. Table 1 lists some of these questions, which reflect our thinking that this course ought to apply chemical principles to “real-world” situations. Only 3 of 60 students initially enrolled (36 during spring 1995 and 24 for the fall of 1995) were able to answer more than one question. By the end of the semester, nearly all students were able to answer most of the questions correctly. Thus we have in the course students who know little chemistry, are fearful of the subject, and yet are interested in chemistry and capable of learning it. Chemistry 195 enrolls only elementary education majors. The course provides a solid conceptual understanding of chemical principles as manifested in real-world phenomena. The preservice teachers need to experience success and satisfaction in learning chemistry that is accessible to their students. This is the first step in their evolution as successful science teachers of young children.

Our Audience

The Instructional Bases of the Course

Elementary education majors represent an atypical chemistry audience. Science is not their career. They typically are not required to take a chemistry course in either high school or college, and few voluntarily enroll. At UNL, elementary education majors are not required to take chemistry as a component of their 12 required science credits. Yet, in our community of chemistry professionals, we recognize how important it is for children to understand the relationship of chemistry to their world. Therefore, we strive to make chemistry appealing and meaningful

In designing this course, we needed more than a knowledge of chemistry. We also needed to keep in mind the best practices currently recommended for elementary science teaching and the conditions and resources that typically are available in an elementary school classroom. The multiple perspectives were provided by pulling together a team of chemists, teacher educators, and elementary classroom teachers to plan and co-teach the initial semesters of the course. Chemistry curriculum is concerned with all aspects of a course, including content, in-class instruction, out-

*Corresponding author.

Vol. 73 No. 10 October 1996 • Journal of Chemical Education

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can be made more rationally with an understanding of chemistry. Elementary education students need to be able to teach their students from this framework. Writing to learn about science. Writing helps students organize their ideas thoughtfully. Instructors get a good sense of students’ understanding by reading their writing. In addition to their journals, students are required to write several lesson plans and a midterm paper. Designing activities. Although many activity books purport to give elementary-level activities, most contain “how-to” and not much background on “why”, which is really the key to an activity. Students are given the opportunity to design activities that expand chemical knowledge and the visualization of concepts. Also, as rapidly as chemistry is changing, there is a need for our teachers to design activities reflecting modern applications of chemistry. Most of the student teachers will have little or no science budget when they begin their professional careers. We therefore help guide them in using low-cost, readily available items in their activity designs. Total costs for disposable items are well under $500 per semester. Gaining understanding by accessing information. No single course can teach everything teachers need to know about chemistry. Course participants are therefore actively involved in researching on their own, because upon leaving the university, they will not have college faculty as readily available to point them toward the answers to their questions. We want students to gain confidence in their own ability to learn via independent experimental and library work. Preparing for diversity. Science has an impact on everyone, regardless of his or her demographic background. Our teachers must be prepared to demonstrate the importance of science to all students. Thus, in class we deal with activities that ought to be applicable to the widest possible student audience. We also assign projects that deal with diversity. An example is one Fall 1995 midterm presentation on “The Contribution of African-Americans to Chemistry.” The Chemistry195 teachers have years of experience in school districts with large numbers of poor and minority students. We bring these perspectives to the class as a normal part of preparing course participants for teaching. High expectations. Students often comment that they worked harder in this course than any other they have taken. They also say that they learned more than in any other course. It has been our experience that as long as expectations are clear from the outset, they will be met by most students. This is true whether the expectaTable 1. Preassessment Questions tions are low or high. Chemistry is fun. 1. Why is it important that ice (frozen water) is less dense than liquid water? This is the bottom line.

of-class assignments, and assessment. The following are key ideas that we use in the course. A hands-on discovery approach. Personal experiences along with those of many other teachers (2–4) support the idea that a hands-on discovery approach to learning chemistry is effective at all educational levels. We also recognize the need to build a sense of community. Therefore, the core of the course is the weekly four-hour, handson “laboratory” class. A one-hour lecture each week is used to formalize to the class the fundamental principles of chemistry. Three teachers are in the classroom working with the entire group of students during the each laboratory session. A high level of interaction. Future teachers need to know the importance of asking some of the powerful questions about chemical phenomena so that they may ask such questions of their students. We seek to create a climate in which raising meaningful questions is a core value of doing chemistry. “Journaling.” Professional chemists in academia and industry keep journals as a way of recording data and expressing ideas. Journals are used with great success in a number of mainstream chemistry courses (5), including the second semester of our own mainstream first- year chemistry course. Many school systems also have students write in their journals daily as soon as they can write (first grade, in the Lincoln Public Schools). Teamwork. The ability to work as part of a team is necessary both in successful schooling and in the workplace (6). Students of Chemistry 195 typically work in groups of two to four. However, students are also responsible for demonstrating individual competence, as discussed below. Alternative methods of assessment. There are all kinds of ways of determining what students understand. In this course we use many assessment tools, including (but not limited to) written journals, photo journals, student design and presentation of activities, written quizzes, term papers, and presentations to school groups (including our Fall National Chemistry Week school visits). The journals are especially informative, as we discuss below. Interdisciplinary focus. Learning chemistry is important because it helps us to make reasonable social and scientific choices. Such decisions as whether or not to eat a particular food, to support or oppose a bond issue relating to a waste disposal site, and how to choose a pain reliever

2. Why is it possible for a chemistry professor to put his hands in water into which a substantial current is being sent, and NOT be electrocuted? 3. What are carbohydrates, and why are they important?

4. Ham is often labeled "96% fat free." Why is this misleading? Prove your answer by means of an example calculation. 5. Why is fertilizer added to soil? 6. What causes the bubbles in pancakes? Give at least one chemical reaction describing the process. 7. How does a detergent help to clean pots? 8. What is a polymer? What are some of the things synthetic polymers are used for? What are some examples of natural polymers? 9. Why can we digest starch but not paper? 10. What is needed to make a battery? How do we choose the right metal or metals for a battery? 11. What is the essential structural similarity among steroids already present in the body and those injected by athletes for use as performance enhancers?

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Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 73 No. 10 October 1996

Theme and Activities in the Course This course is not a prerequisite for any other course. Therefore, we have great freedom in its content. The important content criteria are that the students learn the application of the fundamental laws of chemistry and that the content should help course participants teach chemistry


Table 2. Course Schedule, Fall 1995 Tues. Lab 5:30-9:30

Wed. Lecture 4:30-5:20

Lab Topic

Lecture Topic

Learning Extensions

Aug. 22

Introducing the lab, the content, the course, and each other Journaling/portfolios chemical ed literature safety; field trip; peanut processes; chemistry content pre-test

Aug. 23

How To Learn Chemistry and The Chemists' Shorthand – How We Use Symbols to Express Ideas

Take home attitude survey Journal entries

Aug. 29

Food Science Melting butter; making butter; Bohr model; how to write a scientific paper; periodic table; lego lab of chemical reactions

Aug. 30

Chemical Reactions – an Introduction to Chemical Mathematics

Journal entries First paper: "What Factors Enter Into The Cost of Margarine?"

Sept. 12

Food Science, Week 2 Iron in cereal; iodine detective; apple spoilage; food labeling

Sept. 13

Substances in Food Quiz #1

Prepare poster session: "The Best Foods for the Ailment" Journal entries

Sept. 19

Bathroom Science, Week 2 Making toilet and other papers; design: testing soaps

Sept. 20

How Organic Structure Dictates Function – Focus on Steroids

Journal entries

Sept. 26

Bathroom Science Week 3 Aspirin/antacids investigations; research for mid-term chemistry question

Sept. 27

The Chemistry of Soaps and Detergents Quiz #2

Journal entries Prepare midterm presentations

Oct. 3

Polymers in the Home and the Body Slime; latex; nylon; diapers

Oct. 4

Survey of Natural and Synthetic Polymers Quiz #3


Oct. 10

Chemistry of Life Detection of sugars; identifying proteins

Oct. 11

What the Body Needs to Live Quiz #4


Oct. 17

Electricity for the Home Zinc/copper strips; orange juice clock; LED conductivity meter; electrolysis of water

Oct. 18

Chemical Generation of Electricity Quiz #5

Journal entries Prepare midterm presentations: research subject

Oct. 24

Mid-Term Presentations Pancakes

Oct. 25

Acids and Bases in the Home Quiz #6

Prepare student designs: Electricity for the Home

Oct. 31

Chemistry Underneath the Home Mining for chips; macaroni analogy; student design

Nov. 1

Metals and Their Impact Quiz #7

Journal entries Prepare student designs: Chemistry Underneath the Home

Nov. 7–11

National Chemistry Week Presentations in Area Elementary Schools

Nov. 14

Chemistry in the Garden Soil test using LaMotte kits; student design

Nov. 15

What do Plants Need to Grow? Quiz #8

Journal entries Prepare student designs: Chemistry in the Garden

Nov. 21

Environmental Impact Acids and bases: red cabbage and others; student design

Nov. 22

Substances of Environmental Concern in Soil Quiz #9

Journal entries Prepare student designs: Environmental Impact

Thanksgiving Break

Nov. 28

Dec. 5 Dec. 12

Environmental Impact Oil spills lab; student design

Dec. 16

The Chemistry of Air Pollution

Journal entries

Final Exams, Group Lesson Presentations

that is consistent with national science standards and state frameworks (7–9). The theme for Chemistry 195 has been “Chemistry in the Home”. Every two to three weeks, we explore a different section in the home—the kitchen, the bathroom, the garden, and so forth. The schedule, including in-class activities and out-of-class assignments, is given in Table 2. The activities have been used by us in elementary and middle school classrooms for many years. Lecture time is devoted to a more formal discussion of how fundamental concepts in chemistry apply to the activities. For example, a clear understanding of how soaps and detergents work requires a knowledge of polarity of molecules. Food chemistry requires under-

standing of protein structure, lipids, and so forth. The content strand accounts for most of the topics that one would find in a lower-level general chemistry course. The key difference is that we emphasize a nonmathematical treatment where possible. How Do We Know If Students Are Learning What We Want Them To Learn? The content, affective goals and assessment strategies were discussed above. Looking at the sum total of student feedback paints an excellent picture of what each course participant has learned. Of particular importance


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is “journaling”. Writing in journals is a method of assessment in our classroom. Through weekly reading of the journals, we as instructors respond, ask questions, see the students’ level of understanding for content and their ability to make real-world connections. The students are all future elementary educators, so we also ask them to explore classroom connections (especially to the relevant national curriculum standards) about the learning and application of chemistry. The following remarks are excerpted verbatim from student journals regarding an activity in which soot from a candle is deposited on an egg: “This activity could be connected to the real world with many things. For example, a person smoking a cigarette and the material emitted is collected on the lungs. Since I want to teach second grade I don’t think I would let my students do this [activity], but I could demonstrate it for them and explain to them what is happening. This was a great experience for me because I thought the black stuff [on the egg] was carbon monoxide and now I know that it was carbon.”

Journal entries help us know what the student understands—or misunderstands. Especially when exploring concepts that are difficult for many participants, such as reduction–oxidation or polarity, frustration and lack of chemical clarity can come out very clearly in student journals. Such journal entries are perhaps the most important as indicators of what we need to spend more time with. Course Expenses During the development and initial implementation of Chemistry 195 and with funding from Teachers College and the Howard Hughes Medical Foundation grants, we have had the luxury of small teacher/student ratios. Course enrollment varies between 13 and 36 students. Three instructors team-teaching the class (a chemist, a teacher educator, and an elementary teacher) is allowing us to conduct ongoing formative evaluation and to make modifications in course content and procedures. Staff salaries are estimated to total about $10,000. In addition, faculty and other professional scientists and teachers volunteer to give the lecture portions of the course, connecting their work to the course content. We expect that ultimately, fewer instructors will be needed: perhaps one chemist and possibly a graduate or undergraduate teaching assistant from education. However, we see a continued need for participation in planning and evaluation by all three areas: science, teacher education, and classroom practice. Such staffing will result in higher costs than the usual service course at large universities in which one lecturer teaches multiple hundreds of students, assisted by graduate students who teach discussion sections and laboratories. These higher costs are in line with the costs associated with honors courses, which some departments have elected to offer for smaller cohorts of students. Students assistants prepare materials for the laboratory sessions and are present during class ($1,500 for 2 assistants). As discussed above, consumable goods used in the hands-on activities cost less than $500. The total course expense is about $12,500 per semester. Challenges for the Future

Learning Outcomes All of our assessment instruments indicate that our

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Table 3. Grading Standards Activity Quizzes

Number of Activities 9

Points Possible 20

Total Points Possible 180

Posters/presentations

7

20

140

School visit

1

40

40

Midterm presentation

1

60

60

“Cost of Butter” Paper Journals

1

20

20

14

10

140

Designed experiments

4

30

120

Unit final/project

1

80

80

Written final

1

120

120

Attitude

1

40

40

Task commitment

1

60

60

Total points possible = 1000 A = 900-1000; B = 800-899; C = 700-799; D = 600-699; F < 600

elementary education students are learning chemistry and are learning to design chemistry activities that are appropriate for elementary school teaching. We know, based on our journal responses and attitude surveys, that our students are less intimidated by and much more positive about chemistry than when they started the course. Chemistry 195 is one of the three Hughes grant–supported science courses currently available to elementary education majors. Anecdotal evidence from the instructors of subsequent education courses indicates that elementary education majors who have taken one or more of these courses are voluntarily teaching science lessons within elementary classrooms as part of their pre-studentteaching practica. Before these courses were available, students typically would elect to teach language arts or literacy lessons, with science lessons appearing only if required. We are in the process of quantifying these results for Chemistry 195. The increased choice of teaching science lessons speaks to the power of these hands-on courses in increasing the willingness of future teachers to teach science.

Areas of Concern There are still some areas of uncertainty with the course. Not surprisingly, the main concern among students is grading. As much as some would like to put in ephemeral rubrics, where subjective judgments form the basis of the grade, this is not acceptable to either students or instructors. No matter how enthused about the course students are, their bottom line in school often is, “what do I need to do to get an A.” So we have a very specific and objective rubric on which the grade is based, shown in Table 3. As we enter the third year of doing these courses, we continue to enjoy the cooperative relationship between the Chemistry Department and the Teachers College. Our data indicate that our elementary education students are enjoying this as well. Conclusion The justification for a more expensive course for elementary education majors (such as described here) being supported by a chemistry department would lie in the department’s acceptance of responsibility in working with the Teachers College to prepare the next generation of elementary teachers to teach science, especially chemis-

Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 73 No. 10 October 1996


try, well. We know that the traditional general chemistry course fails to do this. Chemistry 195, with its active collaboration with teacher educators and practicing teachers, is a step toward increasing the chemical literacy of the next generation of teachers and children. Literature Cited 1. State of Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education. “Request for Proposals,” 1995–1996 Guidelines; Lincoln, NE, 1995. 2. Kelter, P. B. ; Paulson, J. R. J. Chem. Educ. 1988, 65, 1085–1087. 3. Kelter, P.; Hughes, K.; Murphy, A.; Condon, C.; Heil, P.; Lehman, M.; Netz, D.; Wager, T. J. Chem. Educ. 1994, 71, 864–866. 4. Sae, A. S. J. Chem. Educ. 1986, 63, 56. 5. Viola, A.; McGuiness, P. D.; Donovan, T. R. J. Chem Educ. 1993, 70, 544–546. 6. Johnson, D. W.; Johnson, R. T.; Holubec, E. J. The New Circles of Learning; Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development: Alexandria, VA, 1994. 7. Tobin, K., Ed. The Practice of Constructivism in Science Education; AAAS: Washington, DC, 1993. 8. National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessment. National Science Education Standards; National Research Council: Washington, DC, 1995. 9. Mathematics and Science Frameworks for Nebraska Schools. Nebraska Department of Education: Lincoln, NE, 1994.


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A Chemistry Course for Elementary Education Majors - ACS Publications

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