Right-Brained Activities for the Chemistry Classroom Carol Hildebrand Greeley Central High School Greeley. CO 80631
Reeentlv educators have become aware of differences in the functions bf the left and right hemispheres of the brain (1,Z). In addition t o becoming aware of these differences, some educators are a d ~ o c a t i n g c h a n ~ in e s teacher education or the curriculum, or both. The left hemisphere of the human brain is the major controller of verbal, analytical and sequential functions. The right hemisphere excels in nonverbal skills and provides the spatial, intuitive, imaginative, creative side of human personality (3). Since Western civilization is reoccupied with science, technology and commerce, left-hemispheric brain functions are emnhasized in our schools (3). Some believe that to ignoreor de-imphasize the function of the right hemisphere is 10 teach onlv half the rhild (4). Current hrain research strongly implies that if educators are seeking a balanced curriculum, right hemispheric activities should not be neglected nor should left-hemispheric activities be over-emphasized ( I ) . Most cerehral dominance studies have been done in reading and sneech. Vew few have been done in science and math: - ,~~~~ fewer yet have been done in chemistry. The one or two which have been done in science seem to validate the effectiveness of both right- and left-brained activities in learning. T o date, a study done a t the University of Southern California is the only one found in a search of literature which has been done in chemistrv (5).The results of the study indicated higher recall scores in the areas of knowledge, c&nprehension, and application skills for students exposed to both right- and I&-hemispheric learning modes. I\'o matter huw one interprets the results of the above experiment, one must wonder how current hrain research should artually affect the rlassroom instruction for prrsenting suhject matter. Certainly, in a chemistrv classroom which traditionally deals with leftbrained functions, one must question how "completely" students are being educated. p
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Carol Hildebrend received her BS degree in chemistry from the University of Washington in 1968 and her MA degree in Science Education from the University of Northern Colorado in 1979. For 11 years she has beena public school teacher; the past 6 years she has been at Greeley High Schwl where she currently teaches Chemistry I and I1 and has taught Intmduction to Scientific Research. This sorine. she received a Regional 'catalyst Award from
The Chemlstfy Classroom This brain research has caused me to reflect on some past happenings and successes I have had with students in my specific cogchemistrv classes. Bv successes, I do not imply nitive achievement, although I do feel cognitive gain is important. Rather, I am talking about student feelings, activities, "stunts,"-tangibles and intangibles in the right-brained realm. These are successes in the development of creative, imaeinative. and holistic chemistrv students-rieht-brained - - ~ ~ ~ ~,~~ as well as left-brained students. Mv students have had active. healthv right hemispheres for a tinie much longer than this lahel has been arounh. For instance. at Christma we traditionallv sing "chemistrv carols": "~eck'theHalls with Silver ~~~~~~~~~~~~~halyais, Dimensional Analysis, D. A. all the Way;" "Up on the House Top Plutonium Falls;" "We Wish You a Merry Bismuth," "Silent Lab;" "On the First Day of Chem Class My Teacher Gave to Me," etc. This past year a group of Chemistry I1 students put an act together for the school's annual gong shdw. The students were gonged while singing in their goggles and lab coats but went off the stage with "We Wish You a Merry Bismuth, We Wish You a Merry Bismuth, We Wish You a Merry Bismuth and a Happy Chem Year." When the Chemistry I students are first exposed to the long and tedious, left-brained activity of learning the elements' names and svmbols, a number of right-brained teacher-initiated activities &be used to make the necessary task less tedious. Sentences using the elements can be employed: "The hnmminehirds areon:""Throw the contents down de zinc:" ~-~~~ , "If a man dies, barium;" "Put your neon the fluorine when you propose." There are endless numhers of sentences one can devise using the elements' names! Creative get-well cards can also be made using the elements. Twice in the past year chemistry students have undergone surgery. During their hospitalization, two different chemistry classes have made illustrated get-well cards u p to forty feet long starting with "We think of you periodically" followed by: "We hope the doctor helium;" "When the lab technitium comes in to take your blond cerium stirk out your tungsten and say ah!";"lf you get bored, watch Dmny and Marie Osmium or Lawrenn ~ e n d i xho/mium. hafnium. or concium Welk:" "Is vour a . ium?" An amazing awareness of the elements, common and not so common. comes to mind as the students search the periodic table f i r new sentence possibilities. Other right-brained activities to enhance the learning of the elements and symbols include matching tests and/or pictures to labels. Some of these items are original or student made; others I have picked up from fellow teachers. For instance, ~ o s s i h l ematching items can include: What a cowboy did to horse (rhodiumj; Gin with water in it (hydrogen); A policeman (copper); Night rider for Helen of Troy (nitrogen). The picture fliustratiois are also creative and useful:
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co-authored and published the simulation game, "Colorado: Problems and Promises," which received the Freedom Foundation Award for educational excellence in 1978. Mrs. Hildebrand is involved at all levels of education-from serving in various profesianal organizations, to consulting, to working with district teachers far the advancement and revision of chemical education.
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Volume 57, Number 8. August 1980 1 597
This year for every picture I showed the students, I received one new one. Some students who showed very little interest in chemistry originally, started coming in before and after school to show me their latest creations. Laboratory reports in my chemistry classes are very traditional with respect to format: title, purpose, procedure, ohservations and data, result and conclusions and error analysis. However, I welcome right-brained creative approaches within that framework. One year I had a student who liked to use pictures, i.e. Chemis
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This year I had a student who preferred to discuss the Group 111cations in an epic poem format: "The purpose of the lab, is really, quite well known-Group 111ions to be found and their nature to he shown!' A student who loved Zigy cartoons and characterizations used Ziggy throughout the Cation Qualitative Analysis Reports. Having variety in lab write-ups makes grading much more interesting and also involves the student in a creative right-brained activity. Each year, students epitomize certain chemistry happenings and frustrations via song, cheer, or poem. "V-I-C-T-O-R-Y. Group 111 cations make us cry. Do we have them? No, we don't. Will we get them? No,we won't."The classroom seems healthier when the frustrations and defeats suffered in a difficult course like chemistry are not hidden hut rather are brought out into the open to be discussed, even laughed about. Two years ago my senior second-year chemistry students conducted a "Chemistry Awards" session where memorable errors or frustrations were rewarded. There were awards for
598 / Joumal of Chemical Education
"The student most likely to decant down the sink;" "The student most likely to catch the lab on fire;" "The student most likely to spend the most on breakage;" and "The student most likely to die with hisfher goggles on."
Right-brained creative activities can find their place in a chemistry classroom. Validation of the eduational henefits of right-brained as well as Id-hrained activities in achemistry classroom needs to be carried out. Future research is needed to analyze this new frontier (,Iscience education. In iiddition to the experimental results. onecan add "feelings" about the place and value of right-brained, creative activities. The classroom seems to be more relaxed, more open, more fun because the right and left hemispheres are both hard at work. Interest s e e m t o be more relaxed, more open, more fun because the right and left hemispheres are both hard a t work. Interest seems to he higher; students seem to be more involved. As educators. do we want to educate "half the child?" T o educate the whole child to the best possible level of com~letenesscertainlv must involve stimulation of the entire );rain in that child:
(5) Rigney. Ioeeph W. andL"t&,Kathy A. ,"TheEffect. of IntDlaetive GraphicAnalgis. on R e e d of ConcepM of Chemisfn.TechnicalReport, May, 1975.
