Chemical Education Today
Especially for High School Teachers
by Erica K. Jacobsen
Quantum in me fuit “Coulda, woulda, shoulda” is a loop that often plays in my Secondary School Featured Articles brain after a conference presentation. Why didn’t I… I could have… I should have… Even after extensive ◭ JCE Classroom Activity: #96. Fun with Fingerprints: Cyanoacrylate Fuming by Anastasios Nikitakis and preparation, it’s easy to dwell on what you could Karaliota A. Lymperopoulou, p 816A. have done differently so the presentation would ◭ Crime in the Classroom Part IV: Conclusions by David N. have been even better. Maybe you ran out of Harpp, p 805. handouts. Maybe the proper cords to connect your laptop to the LCD projector weren’t available. Maybe later you found a better way to can have a positive effect on problem solving. These educaexplain a topic. Second-guessing oneself can be tors are striving to do the best they can, to help students a popular pastime, whether for a presentation, and other educators do the best they can. classroom lesson, or any area of life. In the end, no matter the task, we should be able to A l s I k K a n l o g o , Roach’s commentary (p 768) offered me courtesy of the Stickley say, perhaps in Latin rather than Flemish, from a novel by a salve for the “coulda, woulda, shoulda’s”. He Museum at Craftsman one of my favorite authors (1): “Quantum in me fuit”— Farms. describes a speech he makes to new students I did the best I could. and their parents on behalf of the faculty of Emporia State University. Central to his speech Laura’s Take on the Issue is the Flemish phrase “Als Ik Kan”, which is part of the company logo placed on pieces of furniture created by Gustav Stickley, Students ask questions about the names of many of the interpreted “to the best of my ability”. Based on this phrase, pieces of equipment that they use the laboratory. Some are a more effective use of my post-presentation time might be easy—Erlenmeyer flask or Büchner funnel, because they are to ask myself “Did I do it to the best of my ability, within the named to honor a person. However other names are harder circumstances?” I plan for my answer to be “Yes.” Sure, things to explain and rubber policeman is the most challenging of all can always be improved the next time around, but this time was for me. I have often researched this, but it was not until I read the best I could do. Jensen’s article (p 776) that I fully understood the use of the I wasn’t aware of Stickley’s use of the phrase until now, but word “policeman” in this name. My students still find this a widespread application of it is appealing. Roach encourages stuchallenging name, but say “That makes sense now.” dents as well as educators to live by this phrase in their academic Fisher and Levinger (p 796) discuss several approaches lives. He concludes his commentary saying: “Students will have for integrating the ethical dilemmas we face in our classrooms. excellence demanded of them and excellence demonstrated to Though students say they know what cheating and plagiarism are them…Als Ik Kan”. Visit the blogged commentary at http:// when asked, they often say, “I did not know that was plagiarism” expertvoices.nsdl.org/chemeddl/ (accessed Apr 2008) to add your when they cross the line in the classroom. This past year, I put own comments. specific examples in my course policy sheet and still had several For one example of excellence, don’t miss Cardellini’s interincidents, especially in lab reports. The learning approaches view with Peter Atkins (p 791). Atkins’s dedication to the comsuggested by Fisher and Levinger should provide even more munication of science is impressive. When asked how he finds clarity for students. I have already added a couple of them to the time to write so many books, he ascribes it to “…an obsession to introductory materials for my classes next fall. communicate and share the insights that science alone provides” Each summer brings opportunities for rest, rejuvenation, and “Another factor is the need to work hard. It is no use lying and opportunities for us to learn new things to bring back to our back and expecting the book to write itself.” I have two of his classrooms next fall. I hope that each of you will take advantage many books on my shelves at home. Flipping through them is a of the opportunities available to you and I look forward to seeing visual treat, to say nothing of the wealth of engaging scientific as many of you as possible at the 20th BCCE in Bloomington, information they contain. The interview provides an interesting IN, this summer. window into Atkins and his life. The two articles in this month’s Chemical Education ReLiterature Cited search feature by Cooper et al. (p 866) and Cracolice, Deming, and Ehlert (p 873) also gave me a feel of “Als Ik Kan” applied 1. Francis, Dick. Hot Money, First American edition; G. P. Putnam’s to the classroom. The research presented by both sets of authors Sons: New York, 1988; p 29. really speaks to their desire to determine ways students can learn chemistry even more effectively. Cracolice, Deming, and Ehlert Supporting JCE Online Material compared algorithmic and conceptual problem-solving ability, http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2008/Jun/abs765.html and discuss its implications for instructors on how to facilitate Full text (HTML and PDF) with links to cited URLs the development of students’ reasoning skills. Cooper et al. had intriguing results about how working collaboratively in a group Blogged at http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/chemeddl/ © Division of Chemical Education • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 85 No. 6 June 2008 • Journal of Chemical Education
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