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GENERAL CHEMISTRY WORKSHOP Division of Chemical Education J. A. SHOTTON Oklahoma A. and M. College, Stillwater, Oklahoma
THE first annual meeting of the Conference (Workshop) on General Chemistry sponsored by the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society was held on the campus of Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colle&ce,June 1223,1950. Credit for the orgzization of the conference should go to the Division of ChemicalEducation's Committee on Teaching of College Chemistry, with Dr. 0. M. Smith, Director of the Research Foundation of Oklahoma A. and M. College, as Chairman. The Workshop was directed by Dr. T. Bentley Edwards of Chico %ate College, Dr. T. A. Ashford of theuniversity of Chicago, and Dr. James A. Shotton of Oklahoma A. and M. College. The DurDose of the Workshop was t o bring together experienced teachers of college chemistry to analyze, formulate, and discuss the teaching problems that confront them. It was also to provide an opportunity for the teacher ( a ) t o further develop his philosophy of education, (b) t o evaluate the objectives he has set for his course, (c) t o learn new ideas and methods of teaching and to evaluate them in terms of his own practice, ( d ) to bring himself up to date with leaders in the field, ( e ) to learn new demonstration techniques and to become acquainted with new visual and auditory aids, (f) t o become acquainted with teachers from all parts of the country, A
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( g ) to learu methods of attack that would he of value in solving some of the teachers' problems, (h) t o hear special speakers discuss specific phases of generalchemistry and to derive inspiration to push the teacher to do a hetter joh.
JOURNAL O f CHEMICAL EDUCATION The General Content and Textbook group soon found in their discussion that they needed to go into the problem of objectives for the course in general chemistry and tentatively agreed on the folloring:
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General Objectives 1. To encourage the student to think critically. 2. To help the student draw unbiased conclnsions as the result of logical thinking processes. 3. To arouse curiosity. 4. To teach cooperation. 5. To teach good study hahits. 6. To help develop a healthy philosophy of life.
B. Specific Objectives 1. To show the rdationship of chemistry to
O t t o M. Smith
The Workshop opened with an address by Dr. Luke Steiner on "The Problems of General Chemistry." Among the significant problems mentioned were: 1. Why is it difficult to ohtain agreement on what is fundamental? 2. How many geueral chemistry courses must me teach? 3. Do students have difficulty with the concepts of chemistry hecause of difficulty with arithmetic, or not being able to derive the correct mental picture? Following an address by Dr. Steiner on "The Ohjectives of the Teachers of General Chemistry," the prohlems sent in by the participants in a preliminary survey were presented to the group and then further problems were presented by others who had enrolled for t,he conference too late to sit in on the preliminary survey. These problems were grouped into areas and the participants chose the areas they wanted to work in. The five groups were as follows: 1. General content and textbooks-15 members. 2. Minimum essentials of course-7 members. 3. Methods of teaching-11 members. 4. Laboratory-7 members. 5. Evaluation-9 members. The groups a t the start of their first meeting elected a chairman and a recorder, and from the results of t,he group activities the choices were excellent.
other fields. 2. To help the student understand the nature of matter and its transformations. 3. To present factual scientific information, vocabulary, and skills. 4. To give a background in chemistry for cultural development. 5. To teach students to be precise in ohservntion and expressions. 6. To acquaint students with new findings in science and to point out their applications to everyday life. One main effort of this group was the development of criteria for the evaluation of textbooks for general chemistry. The group working on methods spent much of their time discussing ways and means of removing student difficulties, the use of visual aids, and improving the lecture demonstration. This group was fortunate to have in its membership Dr. Alyea of Princeton University. The members of the evaluation group discussed ways and means of evaluating all phases of general chemistry, such as laboratory work, quizzes over lecture and recitation, and the evaluation of instructors. This group had Dr. T. A. Ashford of the University of Chicago as a consultant. Members of the laboratory panel studied such subjects as macro versus micro or semimicro laboratory apparatus, students working alone versus working in pairs, how grades for laboratory work should he derived, and the correlation of laboratory with lecture and recitation. The minimum essentials panel produced one of the longer written reports of the conference and the results of their labor was a rather extensive outline of what they considered to he the minimum essentials. Noticeably lacking from the list is qualitative analysis as such. At one of the general sessions the topic for discussion was "What Shall We Leave Out of the General Chemistry Course?" No general agreement was reached, but the following criteria to aid a teacher in deciding
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The talks bv the soeakers to the general meetin~s were interesting and appropriate. Dr. Hale of the 1. Can the ideas be taught and learned? University of Arkansas pointed out in his address that 2. Are we teaching content or methods of chemistry? "A teacher lights many candles; young people are not 3. Are they needed to keep the course accredited? receptacles to be filled hut lamps to be kindled." Dr. 4. Are they needed as professional training? (the publication of Rakestraw, Editor of THISJOURNAL 5. Are they of local importance? our Division), brought out the idea that the editorial 6. Are they needed for everyday living? policy of the Journal is to help the teacher solve specific The lifty-one participants from forty-six colleges or problems without the Journal giving ready-made soluuniversities in twenty-five states and the Territory of tions, and to make it "a living text-book of chemisPuerto Rico represented all sections of the continental try." Dean Scroggs of the Oklahoma A. and M. College United States. They were from Oregon to Florida, California to New York, and from Minnesota to Texas. School of Arts and Sciences stressed the idea that The enrollment in these schools ranges from two hun- "Great minds are above systems. Lesser minds are dred and fifty to twenty thousand students. Junior often caught in the toils of the system." He also Colleges, small liberal arts colleges, teachers colleges, pointed out that much of what we perceive is determined by our concepts and that ideas are not derived large state colleges and universities were represented. Two field trips were taken during the conference; from experience but are acts of genius. one to a large oil refinery and another to an oil field to The Workshop next year will be held June 13-22, 1951, on the campus of Oklahoma A. and M. College. watch drilling operations.
what he should leave out were evolved from the meeting.
