view from my classroom
FRANK CARDULLA Niles Township High School 98W Lawler Skokie. IL 60077
Gases: A Successful Unit Maria R. Walsh Pike High School, 6701 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, IN 46208 As teachers gain experience in their classrooms, they often find their personal philosophy and method of teaching influenced by what is heard from or observed in others. My philosophy has been shaped by several influences. Central among them are 1. that students must be active participants in and responsible for their own learning, with the teacher's primary function beiw.that of a facilitatar, and 2. that knowledge i 3 runstruned in the mind3 afthe learners hased on what their earlier exprriences have been 11,.
Converting this philosophy into daily action has helped achieve those classroom goals 1 have established: to have students learn c h e m i s t i i n an atmosphere relatively free of anxiety, assume responsibility for their learning, and learn skills that can be applied to any life experience. Students oRen oerceive chemistrv a s an intimidating subject. Anxious, they expect failure, expect to dislike chemistrv. and e x ~ e cthat t i t will be difficult. As chemistrv teachers:ke have a mission to introduce chemistry in atmosphere that is inviting, non-threatening and anxiety reducing. Relating learned material to the students'life experiences goes far towards accom~lishingthis mission. In addition, our enthusiasm for chemistry can serve as an invitation for students to gain a n equal share of enjoyment .. from its study. When a subject is as ditlicult as chemistry is for so many students, it is important that the teachmg of it be adapted to
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how students acquire knowledge. Educational psychologists teach us that everyone learns differently. . BY . ~rovid. experiences to meet variety of learning styles, teachers can help students feel more comfortable about beine in a chemist6 classmom. While some students may h c t i o n well in a very structured environment, most thrive in a flexible one. Such an environment allows for greater creativity, both in the students and in the teacher. One characteristic of flexibility is the presentation of the material through student-centered activities rather than teachercentered lecture. I try to have my students diecover that "science is a verb". As science teachers, we have an advantamin that our discipline readily incorporates opportunities &low students tobe actively involved in their learning and to make this learning relevant to their experiences. In addition, the opportunity to develop higher-level thinking skills is more likely to be present when students are active learners rather than ~assive ones. Accordingly, many different learning opportunities are included in my classroom: laboratory exercises, wmputer-assisted instruction. computer simulations. data manapement using computers, learning activities, and audio-visual instruction, including videodiscs. Students often work in groups of three or four, cacarriinc.out activities that require ;bse&, recodmg their observations, and analyzingand a l a i n i n e their observations or data usina a varietv of referenees available in the classroom.
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About The Ruthor Maria R. Walsh has been teaching first- and second-year chemistry for 13 years at Pike High School in Indianapolis, IN. In addition, she is an adjunct facuity member of the Department of Chemistry of lndiana University, Bloomington, IN. Pike High School students have the option of receiving college credit for the second-year chemistry course through the Advance College Project of lndiana University. Walsh received the BAdegree in chemistry from Hunter College of the City University of New York and the MA degree in chemistry from Columbia University. After graduation from Columbia, she accepted a position as a research assistant in organic chemistry at the Union Carbide Research Institute in Tarrytown. NY. She resigned that position to spend the next 14 years at home with her family. Walsh began her second career in chemistry as an associate facuity member of the Chemistly Department at lndiana University, Purdue University at Indianapolis, followed by her position at Pike Hiah School. ~ a l s nhas been an anlve presenter at ChemEd conferences, ACS Benn~alConferences on Chemlca Eaucatlon, hatonal SCIence Teachers Assoclat on convenbons,and Hoos~erASMC atton of Science Teachem, Inc. mnventions. She is a past president of the Indiana Alliance of Chemistry Teachers and is Chairman of the lndiana Section of the American Chemical Socieh, (1994).Walsh also served as the Technical Program Chair of ~ h e m 93 ~d
Wash was selenea Teacher of tne Year (1990) of tne Metropol tan Schoo D st ncl of P
