BOOK AND MEDIA REVIEW pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Review of Solving Real Problems with Chemistry C. M. Woodbridge* Department of Chemistry and Life Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York 10996 United States Solving Real Problems with Chemistry by John Goodwin, Darlene Slusher, Tom Gilbert, and David Hanson. Pacific Crest: Lisle, Illinois, 2009. 126 pp. ISBN: 978-1602635135 (paper). $24.
Solving Real Problems with Chemistry1 is a collection of 20 activities designed to reinforce students’ problem solving skills in general chemistry. And yet, it is not just a book of practice problems for students. Each is a process-oriented, guided-inquiry, learning (POGIL) in-context exercise. Also, each POGIL-IC activity is not simply a problem, but a practical problem with real-world applications. Big deal, you might say; all general chemistry books have these types of problems. Possibly. However, the problems here are different. In the preface (on p iv), the authors write: Science students often ask why they are required to study subjects outside their specific field of interest. If your institution is like most, a large proportion of the students in your chemistry class are not chemistry or chemical engineering majors and may see General Chemistry as one more hoop to jump through on the way to a degree in another major. and further (p iv): Many scientists actually use a wide variety of tools from other disciplines to solve problems in their specific area. This sort of interdisciplinary approach in science is becoming more and more common.... But to apply a tool to a new problem is one of the most challenging skills both students and scientists need to acquire. What makes these problems different is that, first, they have a broad appeal, and second, they are not only interdisciplinary; they demonstrate how scientists and researchers go about solving problems. The appeal of the exercises is well addressed because, unlike most problems, the students should easily see how and why the activity at hand might be applicable outside of chemistry or science class. For example, Activity 1 “Cheap Gas: Is It Worth the Drive?” (pp 1 6) is, at heart, an exercise on dimensional analysis. But it is also a timely activity considering current gas prices, which may save some students time and money at the gas pump. After successfully working through the exercise, the students have some experience with cost benefit analysis, which has benefits outside determining where to find the cheapest gas. This article not subject to U.S. Copyright. Published 2011 by the American Chemical Society
Cover image provided by Pacific Crest and reproduced with permission.
Each activity is structured to be consistent with the POGIL method. The activity is presented in several parts: Introduction, Prerequisite Knowledge, Applying Your Skills, Information, The Problem, Solve the Problem, Does Your Answer Make Sense?, Building Your Skills, and Got It. The background to the task, relevant information, and the question to be addressed are all in the Introduction, Information, and The Problem sections. Critical skills students should have or review before attempting the exercise are outlined in Prerequisite Knowledge. Skills the activity is designed to address are given in Applying Your Skills. The problem itself is worked out on the Solve the Problem sheet provided. The sections Does Your Answer Make Sense? and Building Your Problem Solving Skills are designed to have students review their work, check it to see that it makes sense, and address whether their solution was efficient, the limitations of their assumptions, and how the techniques used could be applied to other problems. Finally, there are additional problems presented in the Got It section so that students can continue to practice their skills. The addition of assessment and reflection steps are things we have modeled and frequently see in sample problems but may seldom see on exam papers or homework exercises or in labs. The explicit addition of a series of questions designed to force students to reflect upon what they have just done is a unique feature of these problems. Assuming time permits, a classroom discussion of these reflections would be valuable. If this book is adopted for a course, the instructor has access to an Instructor’s Resources Web site,1 which has help pages for students as well as solutions to the exercises. On the solutions Published: October 05, 2011 1607
dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed200606z | J. Chem. Educ. 2011, 88, 1607–1608
Journal of Chemical Education
BOOK AND MEDIA REVIEW
page, students are asked what level of help they received: none, Au, Ag, or Cu. The help files range from pointed questions to guide students along the path (Cu Help) to general problemsolving tips (Au Help). This is an interesting idea. It forces students to critically assess how much help they really need to complete an exercise and, over time, should obviate the “I don’t even know where to start” type of questions that instructors frequently hear. According to the authors, Solving Real Problems with Chemistry can be used on its own or in conjunction with Foundations of Chemistry.2,3 However, they do not suggest using this text outside the POGIL formalism. Whether or not you use POGIL, this book is worthwhile to read. I found myself thinking about my general chemistry students and how I can help them learn to be better problem solvers after reading this book. I would recommend this to anyone teaching general chemistry at the college or high school level.
’ AUTHOR INFORMATION Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected].
’ REFERENCES (1) Pacific Crest Web Page for Solving Real Problems with Chemistry. http://www.pcrest2.com/srpc/flyer.htm (accessed Sep 2011). (2) Hanson, D. M. Foundations of Chemistry, 4th ed.; Pacific Crest: Lisle, IL, 2010. (3) Abrahamson, H. B. J. Chem. Educ. 2011, 88 (9), 1213–1214.
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dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed200606z |J. Chem. Educ. 2011, 88, 1607–1608
