A "Logical" Chemistry Course? G . WAKEHAM University of Colorado,Boulder, Colorado
TWO chemistry texts of the many the writer has N0exammed . present the chosen topics in the same
ments are available, and a lecture demonstration of cathode-rays is not enlightening. Students have to order. Yet each author doubtless had some integrat- take i t entirely by faith, even though they may admire ing idea in mind, and thought that he was developing the delicate tints of vacuum-tube discharges in a the course in a "logical" way; the only exceptions being darkened room. those writers who frankly side-step the problem of Some progressive teachers now favor the heuristic arrangement by lumping all the theory in one section plan. It is based upon the theory of evolution. Just and the descriptive matter in another, leaving the as the human organism goes through the worm, fish, teacher to sort things out according to his own ideas of and monkey stages during development, so-it is "logic," or teaching effectiveness. Maybe a brief dis- argued-the growing mind goes through the historical cussion of a few of the many possible "logical" arrange- stages of discovery and progress. I t is notorious that ments will clarify the ideas of teachers, and even text- the adolescent intellect is not naturally logical. The book writers, and help them to organize their courses heuristic plan holds that if the great theories of chemmore effectively. It is an educational truism that any istry are presented in the historical order of their disintelligent teacher will teach better in his own way than covery, along with the actual chemical observations in some other way coming down from above; but i t is upon which they were based a t the time of their disimportant that the teacher have a way-a plan intelli- covery, they will be more easily apprehended by imgently chosen and carefully thought out, crystallized mature minds. Lowry's "Historical Introduction to around a unifying, integrating idea. Too many teach- Chemistry" (an English text) was organized on this ers merely follow a text, get as far as they can, and plan. The temptation of teachers who have clear, imagine that they have done their whole duty. logical concepts of their own is to assume that any We may loosely define as "logical" any plan that normal mind will be able to see as they do if the matter follows some centralizing notion and aims a t giving an is presented in plain English. It must be confessed, on integrated bird's-eye view of the whole chemical scene. the one hand, that some chemical theories crept into The older method was analytical. It met the classical ' recognition by tortuous, complicated, seemingly uneducational maxims of proceeding from the known to natural ways. Yet, on the other hand, some teachers the unknown, the familiar to the unfamiliar, the con- report that a study of historical backgrounds has encrete to the abstract, description to theory, etc. It be- abled them to understand student difficulties more cle'arly and to present difficult theories more effectively gan with minerals and metals, air and water-tangible things-classified compounds and elements, interlarded and successfully. carefully chosen chunks of description, and finished Perhaps the most generally applicable plan of orderwith the "crowning glory" of radioactivity and atomic- ing subject matter might be called the Baconian, or structure theory. If used a t present, the atomic bomb inductive-deductiue method, in which analysis and synwould doubtless be the final climax. thesis alternate. This is, of course, an imitation of An ultra-modern and very "logical" plan is the syn- the so-called "scientific method," which all teachers are thetic. It starts in boldly with atomic-structure theory urged to inculcate in the minds of their students. Oband builds up everything-both theoretical and de- servation, followed by analysis and classification, are scriptiv-from that foundation. Electrons, protons, the first steps of induction. The analysis of common and neutrons are, of course, the ultimate, fundamental substances may be camed to the elementary stage, the entities, in so far as we now know or have theorized up elements then being classified, and finally synthesized to the present, and this plan is "logically" ideal. It is into types of compounds. Or, the analysis may be particularly attractive to intelligent, enthusiastic young camed to the subatomic stage straight away, the synteachers. Most of them who have tried it, however, theses then being built up from the most fundamental report great difficulty in "putting it over," save to small known entities. One objection to this plan is that subclasses of mature or superior students. Most of the atomic theory is still in flux, so that one teacher habittexts originally written on this plan, during the enthu- ually urges all of his students to be sure to pass the siastic thirties, have lately receded from the extreme course because, if they have to repeat it, they might position, and now use a hundred pages or so of in- have to learn something else! troductory, analytical matter before springing atomicIf any teacher or author is moved by these remarks structure theory. The chief objection to bringing in to tighten the logic of his course by carefully reconsiderthis theory early is that the presentation must he purely ing the arrangement of his topics, the purpose of this didactic. No effec tive illustrative laboratory experi- paper will be accomplished. 536
