Chemical Education Today
Especially for High School Teachers by Diana S. Mason
Rapid Response Systems Ann Nalley, President of the American Chemical Society, states that the world of today is different from what it was 10–15 years ago (1). On page 3 of Chemical and Engineering News she states, “industry is driven by the need for rapid turnaround”. This statement is certainly indicative of our current emphasis on instantaneous feedback, but there is no evidence that the progress of innovative ideas and new developments has been hindered. In fact one of the more recent advances is mentioned on page 393 of this issue of the Journal. Read about how “intelligent” thermochromic window coatings of vanadium dioxide play an active role in keeping our buildings at a constant, pleasant temperature—cool stuff! In our rapid response world, Keller and Smith (p 401) present some advice for new faculty to help keep our communication ability under control, but also remind us of how our current technology can be used to our advantage when performing classroom tasks. However, we need to consider how our world, which is characterized by prompt turnaround, affects a student’s world. This generation of students experiences technology in multiple ways. For instance, instant messaging, multitasking, toting two cell phones (in case one is not enough), and television shows that are interrupted by commercials every 10 minutes. These technologies afford students the luxury of rapid, almost instantaneous, feedback; as a consequence, however, students may have difficulty concentrating on one topic for an extended time. One of the ways to cope with the “education on demand” situation is to provide students with a flexible, asynchronous environment of online courses and supplemental instruction. Course tools using WebCT and a Student Response System (aka clickers) and the Internet allow students to be actively engaged in the learning experience via multi-sensory inputs (p 488), which today also include the laboratory experience via distance learning (p 501). A constructivist approach to learning is a continuous process that builds upon prior knowledge and results in an increased understanding of the new content—as long as the learner is actively involved with the content (p 488). Such an approach is important, because when students fail to understand certain prerequisite concepts in chemistry, further advancement is limited because of an inability to correctly solve more advanced problems. Active involvement is a must, but this tenet doesn’t say anything about rapid sensory inputs and outputs. This reality affects educational delivery, and we need more research to discern the effectiveness of the rapid response systems available. From research studies in secondary schools, Sousa (2) indicates that the total amount of downtimes experienced by students is less when they have intermittent lessons rather than extended learning (greater than 20 minutes). In this new age of intermittent presentation of academic subject matter instructors need to adapt to new delivery modes, but continue to deliver standards-based content. And let’s not set aside the human touch, which is deemed so important in the article by Lunsford and Bargerhuff (p 407). www.JCE.DivCHED.org
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Secondary School Featured Articles 䊕 Products of Chemistry: Intelligent Thermochromic Windows by Ivan P. Parkin and Troy D. Manning, p 393. 䊕 JCE Classroom Activity: #79. Popcorn—What’s in the Bag? by Marissa B. Sherman and Thomas A. Evans, p 416A. 䊕 Chemical Education Research: Comparing the Effectiveness on Student Achievement of a Student Response System versus Online WebCT Quizzes by Diane M. Bunce, Jessica R. VandenPlas, and Katherine L. Havanki, p 488.
High School Program at the Anaheim ACS Meeting See pages 359–373 in this issue for information about the DivCHED program that will take place in Atlanta, GA, mostly at the Omni Hotel. Highlights include the CHED social hour and dinner (Saturday, March 25), the High School Program, the High School/College Interface Luncheon, and the ACS Conant Award Address by Gwen S. Marbury (p 360). Other awardees whose addresses will be in DivCHED symposia include F. Albert Cotton, Susan Fahrenholtz, Charles F. Beam, and Catherine Middlecamp (p 360). While at the ACS meeting be sure to visit the JCE booths, #301–303, in the Exposition Hall. NSTA Meeting (see: http://www.nsta.org) The NSTA’s National Conference on Science Education (new name!) in Anaheim, CA, April 6–9, offers many interesting sessions and events. The theme this year is Science, the Universal Language, so be sure to visit the JCE booth as you wander around the Exhibit Hall. Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, Purdue University, Indiana Make plans now for attending BCCE, July 30–August 3, 2006. For registration information see the Web site: http:// www.chem.purdue.edu/bcce/html. The General Chair, Bill Robinson, informs us that the 19th BCCE will present a wide variety of plenary speakers, keynote speakers, symposia, workshops, exhibits, and posters, each of which can provide you with new ideas for engaging your students in learning and improving your teaching. Literature Cited 1. Nalley, E. A. Chem. Eng. News 2006, 84 (Jan 2), 2–4. 2. Sousa, D. A. How the Brain Learns, 2nd edition; Corwin Press, Inc. A Sage Publications Company: Thousand Oaks, CA, 2001.
Vol. 83 No. 3 March 2006
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Journal of Chemical Education
345
