p&&&w$t
CHEMICAL EDUCATION
A - W S *
CHAIRMAN
Objectives and Needs For morc than forty years thc memhers and officers of thc 1)hisian of Chemical Education have striven far the improvement of chemistry teaching. Thc decades since 1021 whcn Edgar F. Smith of the University of Pennsylvania was the first chairman of the llivision have witnessed tremendous growth in our science. This rapid expansion in knowledge hits necessit,ated iundnmentsl changrs in our ways of teaching chemistry, as pointcd out, h,y John C. Bailar, Jr.' 1)iscoverie~of new facts modify old theories or lead to new ones, presenting both tho t ~ a c h c rand tho student with a fascinating and stimulating-but sometimes h~wildering-array of material t o be mastered. Ch,encislq, Teaching at All Imels Is Interrelated. I n this time of rapid growth and change, we who teach chemistr.~must be concerned not only with our own pedagogical problems hut also with the advance of chcmical education on all fronts. The college tcncher must know what university toachors expect in tho preparation of studonts for graduate study. The university teacher must he aware of the limitations which prevent the undergraduate college from fulfilling the desired role completely and must provide various means for the first year graduate student to consolidate his preparation far doctoral candidacy. Thc teschrr of tirst-year c o l l e ~ rchemistry must build on the chemical liaawledgc brought by his students from their secondary school studirs of chemistrv or hc will lose the int,erest and enthuh e m of the better studcnts. Tho high school chemistry teacher cannot he of maximum cffcetiveness unless he knows what science his pupils hnvc had in junior high school, and tho teacher in junior high must know about the science taught in the elementary &hod Thc chemistry teacher in the junior college cannot plan or teach a n effective two-year sequence of chemistry courses unless he knows whnt his students have done in high school and what will he expected of them if they transfer t o a four-year callego in pursuit, of x hnchelor's degree. He needs also to knaw whnt technological roles the graduates of his college can fulfill-and how they can be most etrectively trained for thoso. The h s i c objectives of the doctoral program in the graduate school nced to be understood by the university teachers who direct tho program as well as the college, industrial, and governmcntsl others who utilize tho services of graduates with the PhL). The role of the man with a master's degree in meeting the ever widening demands for scientifically trained peoplo in education, government, and industry needs t o be studicd along with plans for making the degree of greater worth. The college teacher nceds t o know whnt the employers-school administmtors, industrial chemists, direct,ors of government lsboratariesexpect of thc man with the bachelor's degree. Thc reflective teacher of chemistry realizes thst, indeed, "no men is an island" and t h a t his own professional effectiveness is inextricably hound up with the work of his fellow teachers in other universities, colleges, and schools. It. is precisely this interdependence which makes tho role of t,he Division of Chemical ICdncntion so important. If a chemist is t o grow in stature as a teacher, he nceds to knaw what othpr teachers are doing (as noted
hy Harry F. Lcwisz), to cxpand his knowledge of chemistry continually (as pointed out by Arthur F. ScattJ), and t o develop his skills in presenting chemistrv to his students. All three of these needs arc boing met by various activities carried on hy the Ilivision through its officers, committees, and members. What the Division Does. The activities of the I h i s i o n may hc summarized under three main hendings: (1 ) stimulating the writing of scholarly papers dealing with now wags of correlating and presenting chemical knawlcdgc, now ways of teaching in the classroom and laboratory, and tho philosophy and principles whieh underlie chemical cdncat,ion; (2) providing teachers nibh opportunities for tho oral exchange of ideas and experiences; ( 3 ) offering serviecs t o chemistry teachers which will enhance their valuc to the profcssian and to society. Stirndating the Writing ofScholarly Papers. The writing and presentation of papers are encouraged by programs at the seminnnual nntionnl meeting8 of the American Chemiesl Sacicty which are planned h p the Program Committee of the Division. The sceessihility of a n even larger audience through thc Division's JOITRNA~, OF CHEM~CA EDUCATION L with its 16,500 subscribers offers further inducement to the writing of such papers. All of us who suhscrihe t o the JOURNAL have a "living teathook" which does much t o keep us abreast of new dcvclap~ncntsin our fielrland a t a pricc to us whieh is hut a fraction of the cost of puhlication. As we look through the pages of advertising which finnncc a major portion of these casts, let's not forget to express our inter& now and then in t,he products we see presented thrre. A word of inquiry-noting that i t was stimulated hy rcading an ad in the J o u ~ n a ~ - w i l l do much t o make our advcrtisors frel it's worthwhile t o continue their heavy subsidy of our puhlication. The fact that authors who write far our JOURNAL do not have to pay a puhlicstion charge (as is the ease ior many chemical journals) contributes to the effectiveness of the periodical for disseminating scholarly ideas. Opportunities for Oral Ezchangc qf Ideas. Many papers are presented first a t national meetings of the Division and are thcn puhlishcd in tho JOI.RNAL. The Program Committee of the Division not only arranges sessions for the presentation of gcneral
and cmferences, au&-visual aids, soliastnte chemistry, training of literature chemists. sponsored rcscarch, radiation chemistry, theories of chemical handing, honors programs, recent advances in analytical, physical, and inorganic chemistrg; and the teaching of organic and inorganic; thennodynemics, colloids, and hiochemistry. One needs only t o look a t the articles in any issue of thc JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION t o realize how varied is the intrllectual fare of the Division a t national meetings. Though we may exchange information and opinions with our colleagues a t national meet,ings, more extensive opportunities are provided in institutes and conferences. Same ot thc most significant and fruitful work nceomplishcd by tho Division has been
Volume 40, Number 4, April 1963
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the nromotime and snansorine of these eatherinw. where a. teacher
technical sessions, or a t institutes and conferences-to cansidcr almost any problem in chemical education. Divisional committees are studying various aspects of curriculum, aids to the teacher, physical facilities for instruction, and cooperation with both new chemistry and new techniques for teaching it. Inother groups interested in chemical education. Several studies ~waht-d numhrre of t l m r an. nr&d, especially lor ro1lt.m. now in p r o m s cover the front from elementary school through rmrhrrs, n o w that tlw new CKA and C'HE\IS courses ior h i ~ h the junior college and the four-year college. srhools --whirlrxrcw our of acrivitieswunwn4 10. the 1)ivisiotl How the Division Wwks. The officers and committee chairare being peseited a t so many instiiutea. ~nsiituterrand eonmen for 1963 are listed a t the end of this report. The ferences denline with ~roblemsof mutual interest to secondsrv duties of the officers are those usually associated with their posischool and college teachers and open to participants of hoth kinds tions. The life-blood of the Division is the activit,~of its comhave been particularly fruitful. mittees. When they are productive, the Division as a whole flourishes; when they are sluggish, the Division languishes. Serw'ees lo Teachers. In addition t o stimulating written and The productive activities of the committees on Program, on oral discussionsof chemistry and chemistry teaching, the Division Examinations, and on Visiting Scientists have already been of Chemical Education provides important services to teachers. OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION continues its described. The JOURNAL Of major magnitude among these is the wark of the Committee on record of excellent publications under the editonhip of W. F. Examinations. Literally scores of active chemistry teachers Kieffer and with the guidance of the Division's Board of Pnblicawork on the preparation of examinstions under the leadership of tions. twenty-three members oi the Committee. Twenty-seven testsThe other three committees were established in 1963, replac19 for college, 5 for secondary school, 3 for graduate school-are ing the Committee on Institutes and Conferences and the Comnow available. About 300,000 college and high school students mittee a n Teaching. The principal purpose of the Committee on in about 900 colleges and 1000 high schools are taking these tests Curriculum is to study the needs for curricular revision, including this year. Three new tests were produced last year, and new such matters as course content, sequence of courses, and tho tests for all courses and s t sll levels are in preparation. The philosophy of chemical education. The committee is concerned Committee's work is taking on a n international flavor with a with the chemistry taught a t all levels from the elementary school number of sdea in foreign countries and translations of tests into through the four-year college. The Committee on the Teacher Japanese, Indonesian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Some foreign and His Work is set up to aid the teacher a t any level of instrucuniversities have inquired about using the graduate level tests. tion in doing a better job. This may include stimulating proThe University of South Florida has been most generous in makposals for institutes and conferences, encouraging the production ing space and technical services awilahle to the Committee free of of monographs and films, promoting programs recognizing the charge. excellence of teachers, improving teacher education, studying Another service to teachers is the program of Visiting Scientists library and laboratory needs of teachers of chemistry a t various in Chemistry arranged by a committee of this Division. In levels, evaluating criteria, for measuring teaching loads, ctc. 196142, 140 college visits were made by 75 visitors and 170 high The principal purpose of the Committee on Relations with school visits by 41 visitors. Seven visitors from foreign countries Government Agencies, Industry, Foundations, and Professional lectured a t 54 universities. More of each kind of visit are being Societies is to serve as a, clearing-house of information concerning planned by the committee for 196243. activities in chemical education carried out by agencies other than A third form of service rendered to teachers involves the design the Division. We wish to supplement-not duplicate-the wark and trial of new laboratory experiments and lecture demonstraof these groups. tions and the improvement of more traditional ones. Several The Division of Chemical Education Needs You. Though many members of the Division are working along these lines on eommembers of our Division are working hard on various problems mittees which will ultimately publish their results in the JOURNAL in chemical education, much needs to be done which cannot be OF CBEMICAL EDUCATION or some other appropriate medium. accomplished because of a shortage of manpower. Your interest Collecting and supplying information of special interest to indicates your concern for improvas a reader of THIS JOURNAL chemistry teachers has been another activity of various commiting chemical education. The Division needs ?leu-and you csn tees of the Division. Listing opportunities for graduate work in help in several ways. (1) Become a. member if yon are not chemistry open to secondary school teachers, analyses of proalready enrolled; write to W. G. Iiessel about this. (2) Write to gramed instruction, and preparation of a List of books most needed the chairman of the Division or to any of the committee chairfor a junior college chemistry library are representative of this men, telling them about problems in chemical education you kind of information gathered and disseminated by members of would like to see the Division attack. (3) Let the chairmen Divisional committees. know if vou are willine to s ~ e n dsome time workine toward the solution of these problems. (4) Tell your colleagues in chemical The Goals and Philosophy o j Chemical Educaliun. Discussion education about the work of tho Division and urge them to join of goals and philosophy almost always arises when members of us. Will you help? the Division are gathered together-in committee meetings, in
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