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STIMULATING INTEREST IN LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS BERNARD M. MITZNER Columbia University, New York, N. Y.
STUDENTS of both inorganic and organic elementary chemistry are presented with a series of experiments which they have to perform in the laboratory. The procedures involved in these experiments are described in detail in the standard prescribed laboratory manuals. The student follows the directions given in the manual, step by step, and records his observations. He then answers the required questions a t the end of each experiment. He has done little more than show that he is capable of reading English, and that he has the technique which a high-school freshman is expected to have. He a t no time is able to demonstrate his understanding of what he is doing, and why. He is merely following directions, and obtaining results of questionable significance. It is no wonder that a great many students gain very little out of a laboratory session and in some cases even resort to copying other people's data. This entire system lacks one very essential factor, the student's doing some original thinking of his own. Naturally this does not imply that the standard laboratory manuals are written for morons, but I am sure that a person of this classification can get results equal to those of an intelligent student merely by following the specified directions. A method should he introduced that would cause students to develop a more active interest in what they are doing, and this can be easily accomplished by the following means: The laboratory experiment is carried out exactly as described in the standard laboratory manual, but an additional question is always added a t the end of each experiment. The question is, "Offer valid criticisms on the way in which this experiment has been outlined and offer suggestions that would make it a more satisfactory experiment." This may infuriate a t once many
authors of laboratory manuals who believe that their procedures are beyond reproach, but there is an ulterior motive involved. If a student knows ahead of time that he will be expected to give a critical evaluation of what he is doing, he will a t once be more interested in it. He will also realize that in order to be capable of criticizing something he should attempt to learn as much about it as possible. Thus, while performing the experiment, he will always keep in mind the fact that he will be asked for suggestions on how to improve it. Most students in both freshman and organic chemistry do not realize that other laboratory manuals, besides the one assigned, are available in the library. Textbooks can also be included in this classification. The more serious student will then spend some time in the library and try to learn how the same experiment is described by other authors. He will therefore have a broader view on that particular experiment as well as on chemistry as a whole. If this critical method is adopted, not only will the students benefit by their increased interest in the subject matter, but the authors of the standard laboratory manuals may find it rewarding to learn what the students think of their recommended procedures. The students are by no means experts on the subject of experimentation and their criticisms may be meaningless in most cases. However, by this device they are sure to have given some thought to the particular experiment in question, in order to be capable of making worthwhile comments. There are most certainly a great many experiments which are virtually perfect in procedure, and to offer criticisms of these would be folly. Nevertheless, if a student makes even an awkward attempt, we have accomplished our purpose.
