Editorial Cite This: J. Chem. Educ. 2018, 95, 1685−1686
pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Illustrating the Human Side of Teaching and Learning Norbert J. Pienta* Department of Chemistry, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2556, United States
J. Chem. Educ. 2018.95:1685-1686. Downloaded from pubs.acs.org by 179.61.201.94 on 10/11/18. For personal use only.
ABSTRACT: Those involved in teaching and learning chemistry interact with the science in ways that are unique. The covers of individual issues of the Journal represent an archive of how those interactions have been captured, what they represent, and how they have changed with time. KEYWORDS: General Public, History/Philosophy, Public Understanding/Outreach
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interactions, and reminds us to be mindful of our own limitations and those of others. The published research provides instructors with evidence to best implement pedagogy and curricula, areas where massive progress has been made in recent decades.9 Instructors need to know about these changes and how they relate to an everevolving set of students. The published scholarship provides instructors with ideas and materials to adopt and adapt, including innovations related to synthesis and characterization techniques and to the development of modern instrumentation and technology. A 30-year-old strategy (and attitude) is not likely to be an appropriate teaching plan, especially if it is centered on lecturing from textbooks that have seemingly remained unchanged for 50 or more years. Updating teaching practices is not merely change for the sake of change. It is change required by the people who interact in the academic enterprise. Students deserve the best efforts from instructors, and scholarship in this Journal can support that meaningful change. In cycling back to the topic of issue covers, we remind authors that they can suggest images as potential covers, including images of individuals in pursuit of the teaching and learning of chemistry: See the cover of this issue as an example.10 We remind all authors that photographs to be published require permissions in writing (e.g., from the photographer and those pictured), and that logos and trademarks are forbidden.11 As we go forward, the Journal will continue to reflect that as chemists we are involved in human endeavors.
t started with a discussion about covers for the Journal, particularly the potential for authors to suggest appropriate graphical images from their own scholarly work to serve as the cover for the Journal issue in which the work will be published. The opportunity to examine the rich history of the Journal and the areas that it archives is quite instructive, and examining Journal covers from its entire history is no exception.1 The Journal archives a variety of topics for many constituencies, covering almost 100 years. Figure 1 shows representative examples starting with the use of color, with graphical designs in the 1940s. This is not intended to be an analysis of design or content in the statistical sense. However, all of the covers in Figure 1 contain a common component. Where most of the ACS Journals Division portfolio is about the central science, the teaching and learning of chemistry is about people. To paraphrase a colleague in the ACS production office in Columbus, Ohio, JCE reminds you why you are a chemist. The Journal of Chemical Education covers how people interact with the science. The human nature of chemistry education involves individuals’ cognitive skills and abilities, their metacognition and other affective aspects (especially for students’ interaction with the content), and the interface between a student and their peers or their instructors. Whereas molecules are well behaved (at least, once sufficiently studied), the teaching and learning processes are inherently messy. This is generally true whether you are a student, instructor, administrator, or just someone interested in the educational enterprise. The Journal describes chemistry research and scholarship, including these human
Figure 1. Brief visual history of Journal covers. Starting at left: March 1947,2 August 1962,3 October 1978,4 February 1989,5 July 1996,6 February 2008,7 and November 2016.8 Published: October 9, 2018 © 2018 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
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DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00655 J. Chem. Educ. 2018, 95, 1685−1686
Journal of Chemical Education
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Editorial
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected]. ORCID
Norbert J. Pienta: 0000-0002-1197-6151 Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS. Norbert J. Pienta is Professor and Director of General Chemistry at the University of Georgia, where he teaches and conducts research and scholarship about the teaching and learning of chemistry, devising methods, instruments, and analytics to characterize student learning and increase student success. He currently also serves as the editor-in-chief for the Journal of Chemical Education.
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REFERENCES
(1) Search the Journal of Chemical Education or browse its comprehensive archives from the Journal’s homepage: https://pubs. acs.org/journal/jceda8 (accessed Sep 2018); a Cover Art Gallery is also available: https://pubs.acs.org/action/ showCoverGallery?journalCode=jceda8 (accessed Sep 2018). (2) See https://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/24/3 (accessed Sep 2018). (3) See https://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/39/8 (accessed Sep 2018). (4) See https://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/55/10 (accessed Sep 2018). (5) See https://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/66/2 (accessed Sep 2018). (6) See https://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/73/7 (accessed Sep 2018). (7) See https://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/85/2 (accessed Sep 2018). (8) See https://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/93/11 (accessed Sep 2018). (9) Cooper, M. M.; Stowe, R. L. Chemistry Education Research From Personal Empiricism to Evidence, Theory, and Informed Practice. Chem. Rev. 2018, 118 (12), 6053−6087. (10) See https://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/95/10 (accessed Sep 2018). (11) See the JCE Author Guidelines for more information: http:// pubs.acs.org/paragonplus/submission/jceda8/jceda8_authguide.pdf (accessed Sep 2018).
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DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00655 J. Chem. Educ. 2018, 95, 1685−1686
