International Aspects of Chemical Education Report of Panel V
Gordon Hiebert, Chairman E d u c a t i o n in chemistry has internationn~ aspects by virtue of its universalit,y of content and tlie inter~iat,ionalexchange of ideas, materials, and personnel. We should not be surprised that some of the recommendations of this pmcl resemble those made by the other panels. Repetition should enharice the sense of urgency with which particular recommendations arc received. Panel Five ~ v a sconcerned with the social usefulness of science as were illc other panels. We were confident, that chemistry, while probably in need of some fairly drastic restruct,uring, had social relevance and merit. We recommended that chemists and teachers of chemistry play more active roles in societ,y and that the teaclling of chemistry be extended to reach more students, including students who would receive only a limited education. We recognized the need for improving chemical education and sharing our best ideas as to how this could be donc. Finally, possible improvements in the reception and training of foreign schol:~rs were considered. On each of these topics we made a series of specific recommendations which follow. R o b o f S c i e n c e in A t t a i n i n g N a t i o n a l G o a l s Science educators in all nations should psrlieipate in a reexamination of national goals for 1,he devdopmeut and the coutribution that science education can make to the at,taiumeut of these goals.
National policies arc set to attain various objectives. I n the more developed nations of the world these goals often include maintenance of a stable pattern of economic growth, improvement of health and sanitation, relief from pollution of air and water, and the like. I n the less developed nations tlie problem is often that of accelerating development to close the gap between t,hemselves and countries ~vhoserapid economic growth started some time ago. The less developed countries face the problems of increasing productivity of agriculture, tapping new sources of water, improving arrangements for food storage and dist,ribution, starting marly n c x small-scale industries, and developing basic tcchnologies. Some problems are shared by both groups of countries: These include coping with a high rate of population growth and bringing education to previously unreached sectors of society. The rising expectations of the world community nre buoyed up by the confidence that such goals become more attainable through the operation of a science-based
Members of the Panel
GORDONHIEBERT (Chairman) National Science Foundation JR. JOHNC. BAILAR, University of Illinois ROBERT BRASTED University of Minnesota J. A. CAMPBELL Harvey Mudd College D. G. CHISMAN The British Council JOSEPHDANPORTH Grinnell College JEFFERSON DAMS University of South Florida ANNA 1. HARRISON M t . ~ilyoke~ o l l e i e ROBERT MAYBURY UNESCO Paris MICHINORIOm Universiiy of Tokyo
ROBERT PARRY University of Utah
ROBERTC. PLUMB Worcester Polytechnic Institute ARTHUR ROE National Science Foundation GEORGEM. SCHWAB Uuiversily of Munich
ROBERT SILBER
American Chemical Society
P. SYKES
Cambridge University
HENRY TETEIUN UNESCO Park -
BENNETT WILLIEFORD Buoknell University
JAYA. YOUNG kuburu Universifv
tcchnology. Honrever, in spite of remarkable scientific and technological advances, much of society feels that, support of science has not led to positive support of national goals. People arc increasiugly frustrated with technological developments which seem to lend to small yields, obnoxious hyproducts, unsettling shifts of military power, increasing social unrest., and :L residue of unsolved problems. We solve the problem of mamufacturing durable containers and are plagued by tlie resultant problem of disposal. The automobile may satisfy the need for individual trnr~sport:btion hut it pollutes the almosphere. While some persons dream of emigration ~ I Iother astronomical bodies, the most important problem we face is how to live on a crowded planet. This problcm stems from tlie :pplication of the germ t l i ~ o r yof disease t,o the reduction of infant mortalit,y. A necessary responsibility of chemists and chemical educators should be to familiarize tlremselves wit11 the facts relevant to populations arid human ecology. Willlout prompt, attention to chemical educatiori related lo these problems it is unlikely that the solutions attempted will be the best ones possible. The panel recommends that the rc-rxamin:~tion of national goals include a reassessment of 1eclinic:~lmanpower requirements, and that cwe be t , a l m ~ to prnp:Lre senior scientists and technicians wit11 the kinds of Volume 48, Number
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The panel t,oolc the view that topics from chemistry should be included in general education, and that chemists should make an appropriate contribution to the improvement of general education The panel took tlic position that some aspects of cbemist~yshould be taught even to those who will receive only a minimal education. Chemical educators should help to insure the incorporation of appropriate scientific topics in elementary curricula. They sliould, perlraps through collaborative international efforts, prepare handbooks and guides for students and teachers to facilitatc tlie teaclring of tliose scientific principles that can be inferred from familiar examples in nature or technologies. Rlost youngsters do not continue their education to the college level. Thus the impact of science and technical education must be made during tlie early years of schooling. The panel recommended that novel, imaginat,ive, and effective steps be t,aken to serve tire needs of those who have not responded well to chemist,ry as it is now taught in the sclrools. The use of academically unconventional formats as means of inst,ruction should be explored. These could include flip books, "popular" books in science, e.g., Gamow, Asimov, and Eiseley, and "comic" books, for which translation problems are minimal and information retention is high.
Dr. Gordon Hiebert Iright), Notional Science Foundation, Chairman of the Pone1 on "International Aspects of Chemical Education" with pone1 member Joy A. Young, Auburn University.
training nnd in the numbers needed. Rlanpower needs should be tdien into consideration ~ v l ~ ecounseling n students on choice of career or plmning for expansion of cducation:d facilities. The panel ~ : l smindful of the current situation in mnrly countries in which the number of trained chemists exceeds the demand for chemists and t,ook the position tlrat trilining in chemistry should not, disqunlify n person from other kinds of work. Welltrained clremists :we potentially able to contribute to socicty in fields not directly related to the content of c h r m i s t i ~ , hut r e tlreir tmining in intellectual analysis m:ty be in demand. Such fields may include administmtion, law, politics, commerce, and communications. Stepsmust bc t:~liento nccommodate trained clremists in a varicty of socially useful jobs whcre their skills may be needed. Steps must also be taken to broaden the students' own view of their eventual social usefulness.
Continual Revision of Chemical Education Chemical education should be continually renewed in each country.
The panel review of various national programs in chemical education made it clear that many problems recognized in t,he United States are common to many other countries. I n society as a whole these problems include the narrow view by chemists of the role and scope of chemical science and lack of public understanding of science and technology. It also includes wide-spread unemployment among holders of degrees in science-persons ~vhosetraining should have qualified them to serve society usefully. I n science education in part,icular, the problems stated by many countries include obsolete syllabi and teaching materials; stereot,yped examinations; inadequate training of teachers; inadequate teaching facilities; limited understanding by educators of the scope of chemical education and
Extension of Chemistry Edncat,ian in science, inclndi~igchemistry, should bc extended in all countries.
RECOMMENDATIONS Science educators in all notions should porticipote actively in o reexominotion o f notion01 gools for development and in o reevoluotion of the contribution thot science education con make to the ottoinment of those gools.
+ Education in science, including chemistry, should be extended in 011 countries.
+ Chemical educotion should be continually renewed in eoch country.
+ The occommodotion o f foreign scholors by host countries should be improved.
+ Internotionol exchonge o f informotion on the improvement of chemistry feoching should be increased ond coordinofed.
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the professions to which it may lead; and failure to acquaint the general public with the role of science in society. Because chemistry and other sciences are continually changing chemistry teachers need help in maintaining their professional status. I n each country, facilities for improving, the qualifications of teachers and the quality of teaching materials should be provided. College and university chemist^ sliould assist the renewal of chemical educat,ion by participating actively in the training of science teachers. Professional chemists can contribute to the quality of science education by encouraging scientifically able students to go into primary and secondary science education, and colleges and universities can help these students select programs wlriclr concentrate in the sciences and are appropriate to these goals. The unfinished task of making educational improvements should be taken up with the understanding that, education operates through a system that has its own infrastructure, processes, constraints, and goals. Too often the efforts to improve science education have overlooked critical factors which determine what happens in the classroom. Brilliant new curricula are developed but are supported by textbooks which cannot, be understood by the intended students; superbly readable textbooks are made available but are unrelated t o the prescribed syllabus; the syllabus is revised but, the examination is not,. Even with all of these problems solved it may turn out, that the teacher is unable to make creative use of the nely teaching materids due to personal limitations. The panel called for a scrutiny of the whole educational system as well as the science subiects \d~iclrare taught and expressed the hope tliat. systematic improvements would be devised to encourage the fruitful interaction of scientist and science tenchcr in a self-sust:~iningdevelopment effort. The Panel strongly approved the resolution of the XXIV IUPAC Conference, Minute 19, 20 August 19177: "That, in order to provide adequately for ihe needs of t,he teaching of chemistry, it is necessary . . . to provide in-service t,raining of chemistry teachers as a matter of urgency for all teachers in all countrics." Wc call explicitly on those ~ v h oare involved in chemical education in evwy country (whether developed or developing) to take the necessary steps as soon as possible to put, this resolution int,o practice in such a ~ a asy to involve every teacher of chemistry, without. exception. The Panel saw a need t,o encourage and enlarge tlw bilateral exchange of such in-service educational programs as the ACS Short Courses and similar courses offered in ot,her couutries. We see a need for a multinational consult,ative service for curriculum development, project,^. I n view of the importance of examinat,ions in education improvement schemes, consultative services for examination construction also would be useful. The ACS Division of Chemical Education, m d comparable bodies in other countries, should establish mechanisms for identifying qualified consultants and assist here possible to make consultant services wailable. International E x c h a n g e of S c h o l a r s The accommodation of foreign scholars by host countries should be improved.
For various reasons there is a n uneven geographic distribution of scient,ists, including academically employed scientists. Understandably, centers in ~vhich there is already a concentration of reput,able scientists tend to attract still others. Scholars have traditionally cherished opportunities to move among such centers. I t is not a t all surprising tliat. in the extensive internat,ional traffic of scholars there are many students going from the less-developed countries to t,he moredeveloped for advanced st,udy. Too often the meutors of these foreign students forget that students from the less-devcloped countries mill return to an envirom~ient nrIiiclrdoes not correspond to that of t,he more-developed count,ry. As a result. of inadequate academic counsel many students undertake lines of study which cannot be continued later and conclude their foreign study n-ith a sense of alicnat,ion from their o7r.n culture and a lack of understanding of their olrn local problems. Steps to improve this situation arc recommended. S t u d ~ n t sv h o are candidates for further study in a foreign country should have access to information about, that country and about academic policies and procedures. We recognize that the scientific community has a responsibility to ensure that academic counsel to prospective students is competent and useful. We recommend that professional bodies accept that responsibility and provide needed information in the form of suitable publications. We recommend a program of postdoctoral industrial int~crusllips. Too often students from less dcvcloped countries go abroad t o study the latest advances in science and in doing so fail to learn to use science to solve the problems which must be faced upon return. We deem it highly desirnble that opportunities be created for foreign students to worlr as interns in an industrial-technical environment. Such internships should form intrinsic p a r k of graduate programs and not. replace regular industrial employees. We also recommend a program of nondegree studies in applied science. We call to the attention of granting agencies and instit,utions catering to students from the late-developing countries the fact that there is need for instructional programs that lead to useful slrills and not, merely degrees. Some students \vitli a bacliground in chemistry should t a l e inst,ruction in the many pcriphera1 fields in which chemist,ry is used to solve technical problems. International E x c h a n g e of Information Irdernntionnl exchange of informaiion on the improvement of chemisiry teaching should he increased and coordinated.
Some chemists appear to be u n a w m of many of the useful developments in the teaching of chemist,ry. We see alarming gaps in t,he general knowledge of such development,^ and recommend that these gaps be filled. Greater information exchange is required bet~veen and among groups that serve the international needs of chemical educat,ion. We believe that t,he IUPAC Committee on the Teaching of Chemistry is ell qualified t o provide this service and should do so. The Committee could coordinate the services of UNESCO, the national chemical societies, government agencies, and other organizations. I t could fill specific requests for information and help, recognize and assign priorities (Continued m page 38) Volume 48, Number I , h n u a r y 1977
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International Aspects of Chemical Education (Continued from page $9)
t,o major problems, and recommend specific action for solving problems. The IUPAC Con~mittee could maintain liaison with other disciplines, both scientific and nonscientific, and serve governmental and nongovernmental agencies around the world. We suggest that the UNESCO publication, "New Trends in Chemistry Teaching," be issued more frequently and distributed more widely. Steps should be taken to establish the lox-cost reprinting of selected articles from C h e m i s t ~ y ,THEJOURNAL O F CHEMICAL EDUCATION, Education i n Chemistrrj, and similar journals as parts of locnlly produced indigenous journals. These efforts should in no say replace "New T~.ends." A mechanism should be established to effect the international exchange of small apparatus and teaching aids. Individuals and local chemical organizations should be encouraged to send recently published books and jour-
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nals on a regulas basis to foreign libraries vhich need them. (In many cases mechanisms for this noly exist, even to paying for shipping costs, but the arrangements are not always well organized.) We hope that the recommendations we make in this report vill be of some use in realizing the fuller potent,ial of education in chemistry. The full yield depends on a general revitalizat,ion and recasting of science education. We urge t,he chemists not to wait for others to take the lead, but instead to point the way by examining the recommendations made here and taking appropriate action where possible. We emphasize, finally, t,hat in many instances improvement of education in chemistry and the accomplishment of the actions we recommend can be strengthened markedly through international collaboration.
