Chemical Education Today
Especially for High School Teachers by Diana S. Mason
Teachers Teaching Teachers How many times have you received an unexpected call or email asking you to do something for a group of teachers and/or students at the spur of the moment? (I know I have!) The first things I think about are: what did I do last time and how can I make this time different (and better)? I hate doing the same things that I feel “everybody has seen”, but coming up with the new ideas is sometimes very difficult. However, when I need a new idea, I go to the JCE Classroom Activities that are in almost every issue. (For the Activity in this issue see pp 672A–B.) The Activities are not just for students. You may find them quite useful for teaching peers about the fun and engaging aspects of learning chemistry and get some tested ideas that work and build skills. The Activities are so easy to find—just flip the pages, feel for the firm cardstock, and you’re there. You can use JCE Activities to supplement classroom laboratories and lectures, and you can also use them to teach teachers new tricks of the trade. Many Activities are submitted by practicing teachers who have great ideas that they want to share with others. Service Inside the Classroom Community service should always be a component of teaching. Where the attitude needed for giving back to the community comes from is up for debate, but you never know where you will plant the seed unless you get involved. Besides teaching teachers, other ideas for outreach programs are published in this issue. Voegel, Quashnock, and Heil (1) give a wonderful account of how they began a cycle where they trained teachers to perform demonstrations and in turn this service was extended to high school students who in turn used their newfound knowledge to engage elementary school students in the wonders of chemistry. Also, you might consider sharing sources where you find interesting tidbits of knowledge. For example in this issue, Rakita relays the history of the addition of fluoride to toothpaste and its dramatic effect on lowering the incidence of caries (2). Lunsford puts a different spin on getting students involved in helping others (3). At Wright State University, the Early and Middle Childhood education majors are provided an opportunity to develop and present original inquiry activities that are appropriate for middle school students. This practical experience not only facilitates their own learning, but also helps them to see how teachers can influence the next generation of students. Service Outside the Classroom Chemistry teachers are always looking for new ways to add a twist to old topics. If you need additional examples of some interesting stoichiometric problems see the article www.JCE.DivCHED.org
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Secondary School Featured Article 䊕
JCE Classroom Activity: #63. Determining Rate of Flow through a Funnel, by Martin Bartholow, p 672A.
on green chemistry concepts (4) or if you need an interesting complement to teaching about recycling see the experiment regarding de-inking paper (5). Getting your students out of the physical boundary of the classroom and providing them the opportunity to become an integral part of the community are great ideas to enhance your course. Pence (6) has added to her course for nonscience majors several instances where students become actively involved in collecting chemical information related to their major and their hometown. The students have found benefit from discussions about urban legends and the risks and rewards from our society’s use of chemicals. Teachers are always looking for new and better ways to teach and learn chemistry—the Journal is a good source! Also, you can even get great practical ideas such as how to build a very economical storage rack for hanging graduated cylinders (7). Check it out! Sad News Babu George may have been an organic chemist by training, but he was a chemical educator by heart. One of our most giving ChemEders passed away in March. Babu George was a Professor of Chemistry at Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut. George, or as he preferred to be addressed, Babu, hosted one of the best ChemEd conferences ever. (For the record—I have carried one of his conference bags every day since July 1999.) He always made sure that he gave the best and got the best for us. If you want to scope out some of his views expressed in JCE, see his vision on why students major in chemistry (8, 9) and read about his observations on the safety issues of 1984 (10). Babu, you will be missed! Literature Cited 1. Voegel, P. D.; Quashnock, K. A.; Heil, K. M. J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, 681–684. 2. Rakita, P. E. J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, 677–680. 3. Lunsford, S. K. J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, 685–687. 4. Song, Y-m. J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, 691–692. 5. Venditti, R. A. J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, 693. 6. Pence, L. E. J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, 764–768. 7. Love, B. J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, 701. 8. George, B.; Wystrach, V. P.; Perkins, R. J. Chem. Educ. 1985, 62, 501. 9. George, B.; Wystrach, V. P.; Perkins, R. I. J. Chem. Educ. 1987, 64, 431–432. 10. George, B. J. Chem. Educ. 1984, 61, 471–472.
Vol. 81 No. 5 May 2004
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Journal of Chemical Education
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