Chemical Education Today
Especially for High School Teachers
by Erica K. Jacobsen
Resident Experts A family friend designs, builds, and sells furniture made from used wine barrel staves. His journey of developing proSecondary School Featured Articles duction methods over the past couple of years has led him into new territory. He’s played a bit of the chemist, experimenting ◭ Classroom Activity Connections: Window Cleaner—New and Improved? by Erica K. Jacobsen, p 1747. with the use and resulting look of various wood finishes. At times however, he’s looked for some expert advice and sup◭ Concept Maps for General Chemistry by Boyd L. Earl, port for a particular product he’s p 1788. using. The natural place to turn? The product’s support line. During a conversation with one of standing connections with both the National Science the staffers, he had a few specific Teachers Association and JCE to expertly bring together questions about using the prodarticles from The Science Teacher and the Journal. uct. The staffer’s response was to Monthly articles can often give us a starting point. read him the label on the can. His We dip into the well of information provided, take it, next question: have you ever used and make it our own. You know your own classroom this product? Can you guess the and style, and can mold the technique to fit your own answer? environment. Brooks et al. (p 1861) and Dórea et al. The Journal has always seemed (p 1866) both describe Web-based projects. One develto me to have its own monthly coloped online courses for high school teachers, the other lection of experts. I don’t mean it created a biochemistry tutorial for university students. in the elite, unattainable sense of Moving streams of liquid at the edges These authors have given me a starting point for a Web the word; the authors are chemi- of a watch glass holding a solution of project that I’ve been considering. I’d like to create a cal educators just like you. It just naphthalene and phenol red in acetone. “potential JCE author” Web resource. A boot camp, if means someone who has “used Such streams may cause crystals to you will, to get high school teacher authors going on the product”. You can tell us how dance (see p 1773). articles they’ve been meaning to write. Sure, my project it worked in your classroom and isn’t exactly like the two I read about, but both articles why you find it useful. For example, Earl (p 1788) shares two gave me ideas for where I could go with the project, how I might concept maps that he uses to connect topics in general chemisconstruct it, what problems I might encounter and information try. He states “…I did refer to them [these diagrams] regularly in on how others have fixed them. It’s a head start into the planning class, hoping that this would assist the students in understanding process. The next questions to consider: What should I include the relationships of the various topics.” He’s used it, has found in such a site? What would make it useful for you, a potential it useful, and now shares it with other educators. If you have a high school author? As always, my email box (jacobsen@chem. particular question about how he’s used it that he doesn’t address wisc.edu) remains open for sharing and feedback. in the article, he’s the expert you could turn to. He invites submisLaura’s Take on the Issue sions to a new JCE Online Concept Maps column. Hoffman and Beussman (p 1806) describe a laboratory that Where are you right now? How is your semester going? focuses on forensic chemistry and the analysis of paint samples Honestly, I am ready for Thanksgiving break and tired of grading using a reflectance spectrophotometer. They designed it for use lab reports. The students are not in a much different place. Some with undergraduates, but I wondered if a high school might be want to stop doing stoichiometry (really hard for us to believe, able to afford the necessary instrumentation. They’re the experts but true) and others are sick of electron configurations. The on their own lab; I used the principal author’s email address from hardest topic for me to get them through is non-polar vs polar the article’s byline to ask how much their particular instrument molecules and intermolecular forces. I will hit these topics right cost, and whether a Vernier product Laura Slocum found on the before Thanksgiving break when many students will already have Internet (Alta II reflectance spectrometer) would work similarly. started to “go on break”. He replied saying their spectrometer cost $9,000, but that it was This year, I believe Mundell’s Dancing Crystals (p 1773) useful for other types of spectroscopy analysis. He even emailed will provide the pick-up we need (see photo). I have not yet Vernier, and determined the product might work with the right tried it with my students, but I am very intrigued as I watch the paint color. Perhaps a teacher that uses the Alta II might do some crystals dance so freely in my procedure trials. The chemicals are testing and share the results? not expensive and the naphthalene odor is not overpowering. JCE also offers the insight of regular columnists. King That addresses the “just get me to Thanksgiving break” (p 1738) finds new experts every month and concisely summaproblem. Can any of you suggest ways to shorten the lab report rizes their findings. Both teachers and students can read the colgrading? I know many of you have found ways; please share! The umn and learn about relevant, cutting-edge research. King also Journal is a great place for each of us to share what has worked tells readers where to go to find additional information for any for us. Erica and I are always willing to help you submit your questions that might arise. Long (p 1748) puts to use his longwork to the Journal. Take those first steps toward publication.
www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 84 No. 11 November 2007 • Journal of Chemical Education 1737
