Chemical Education Today
Especially for High School Teachers by Diana S. Mason
The Factor of Time Research provides opportunities for “critical, independent, creative thinking” (p 1367) frequently omitted from the classroom because of the limited amount of time we have to spend with the potential new members of the research world. Our students need to have “global skills before local skills” (Table 1, p 1362), but we also need to culture their natural curiosity and not hinder their intrinsic motivation. One of the best ideas that you can take from this issue of the Journal is that we learn by doing and observing experts practicing their tasks. Even though the cognitive apprenticeship theory directly reflects on graduate-level education, the lessons presented are pertinent to all ages. Students learn by modeling behavior (especially those who want to become teachers). The best teachers will always give constant feedback to their students like a coach who monitors and suggests ways for team members to improve, but again there is the issue of time. The Journal is never without teaching strategies and suggestions, many of which will decrease the time you need to develop dynamic lessons. Some take more time than others to implement, but all are innovative and thought provoking. Seetharaman and Musier-Forsyth (p 1404) suggest an active-learning strategy that can be adapted to any situation and academic level. They refer to this board-based activity as being like a jigsaw puzzle. After students read specific material, have them gather in small groups to discuss their readings. Students are usually less intimidated in smaller groups than they are when sharing their ideas in a large-class situation. Next, bring them back into the whole setting where they can assemble the pieces of the jigsaw. Shy students are now more willing to share with the class after having “tested” some of their ideas within the smaller group. DePierro, Garafalo, and Toomey (p 1408) present another interesting approach to instruction called inquiry teaching. It is the ultimate method in guiding students though the development of concepts (in this case fundamental concepts of force, gravity, mass, and weight). The authors guide us through a Socratic dialog to explicitly show us how to help students get from where they are conceptually to where we would like them to be. This one-on-one meeting of the minds is a learning tool that needs time, but will ultimately prove to be invaluable. Spencer and Lowe (p 1417) present a similar scenario on developing an advanced concept of entropy. These continually questioning dialogues should be shared with students, future teachers, and practicing teachers to help guide them through how to use the time-proven Socratic method of teaching—a great teaching and learning tool. A few other teaching tools in this issue include applications of chemistry in the real world (p 1437), pertinent analogies (p 1403), and a rich source of historical events (p 1393) that help to draw students into the study of chemistry.
Secondary School Featured Article 䊕 JCE Classroom Activity: #58. Bath Bubblers, by Mary E. Harris and Barbara Walker, p 1416A.
New Resources and Tips Two new books reviewed in this issue— Building Student Safety Habits for the Workplace edited by Mickey Sarquis (p 1384) and Chemical Education: Towards Research-Based Practice edited by Gilbert, De Jong, Justi, Treagust, and Van Driel (p 1387)—are excellent resources for teaching chemistry and performing research studies in chemical education. Another issue regarding safety is that of appropriate funding. Penker and Elston (p 1401) present several funding tips to find ways of purchasing needed safety materials. Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming Events In 1979 (1) the Journal reported from the minutes of the High School Chemistry Committee meeting that the Biennial Conference of Chemical Education (BCCE) needed to “be expanded to include a program for high school as well as college teachers”. Subsequent BCCEs— including the 18th BCCE to be held at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, next July—have certainly taken this recommendation to heart. Tom Greenbowe, 18th BCCE general chair, is making a huge effort to include all teachers. See the BCCE Web site (http://www.chem.iastate.edu/bcce) to check out all the cool symposia and workshops offered. If you are attending but will not stay in the campus housing, off-campus housing reservations are due December 1, 2003! The Secondary School co-program chairs, Jeff Hepburn, Des Moines Pubic Schools, and Ken Hartman, Ames High School (retired), have worked hard and will continue to work to ensure that the 18th BCCE has a strong program for teachers. Also, mark your calendar for these upcoming meetings: ACS Spring National Meeting (Anaheim, CA, March 28–April 1, 2004), and following close on its heels, the NSTA national meeting (Atlanta, April 1–4, 2004). Sneak Preview The February 2004 issue will be devoted to Earth Day 2004 and the subject of water quality. You can look forward to finding many suggestions for engaging your students in the study of our environment. Literature Cited 1. DeRose, J. V. J. Chem. Educ. 1979, 56, 612–613.
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 80 No. 12 December 2003 • Journal of Chemical Education
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