Rubin Battino Wright State University Dayton. OH 45435
The Importance of Being Impressive: The Opening Lecture
It is a frequent occurrence for me in social situations to he confronted with statements like "Oh, you teach chemistry. That was one of the worst (most difficult, most troubling) subjects I took in college. I was very glad to get out of it." My colleagues have all had similar experiences. One of the ways that we can have an impact on these reactions is to Day . . ati nt het r P r t np r I the e n Ie(tuw i n ch~mi,trvwurses. ,The idloaint: wrntlwntson thr cq,~n:ngItuure also apply t u other :ma. . . Firit imr~rtsionscount, and the\. ~wunti n d i n a t e l y . The tone, style;direction, and atmosphere established on the first day carry through the entire course. You may do things differentlv later. hut these c h a n ~ e shave to work apainst enrwnrhpd init1;;l attirudt.s and. ti;us. any Aange.; in ;;me, style, PIC. h a w to fieht an uohill l~attle.1.~1 me illustrate t his with my past practice concerning opening lectures. I have used the opening lecture to establish the boundary conditions for the course. Primarily, this was done by passing nut a detailed svllahus which described the course, prereauisitt.5, grading, aeekly ;ic+nnitwts, satvty wnsidt:r;itiun>,ets. Once thesvllithuswai hitndrd trut, I w ~ ~ ut:uwer ld thermtcnt, answering questions, and expanding whkre necessary. We would also read a skit on "student-teacher contracts" and then have a discussion about the issues raised in this skit concerning student and teacher roles and expectations. Finally, I would wind up by exploding two hydrogen-filled balloons. This last certainly made an impression, h u t . . . . The "but" has to do with the aspects of the opening lecture that students took away. On talking to students I found that what a terrific subject chemistry is, nor how many interesting things they would learn, nor that they could have fun and enjoy a suhject and learn a t the same time, hut that I was very tough on cheating. Secondary remembrances had to do with my being tough on safety in the laboratory and with my requiring that weekly homework assignments he turned in. We all hear selectively, and it is apparent that "parental" type messages (in the transactional analysis sense) are heard preferentially. At least, students attending the first day of class hear "parent" messages more effectively than they hear "child" fun messages. By my doing what I thought was proper in terms of good pedagogical technique, I found that my intent and the students' responses were a t odds. There is a message here. The message for me is that the affective domain is particularlv- imoortant and es~eciallvso for the ooenina lecture. If . I want to etnhlish n dirrction fur the rmrse r h a ~stnte.: ''111 chrmixry luo and ltwning c m gu hanil-in.hand," then I h. t ~ ~ d c , t h ~ ~ i g ~ d i t i t . r ( :Ifn It lwant y . 511alent to Iregin chl,nri-F~~~~
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with a good feeling, then I have to start differently. I strongly recommend that the opening lecture he devoid of "parent" messages. The students know that these messages are there, anyway. It is not necessary to heat them over their heads with rules and requirements. The syllabus covers that, and it can he expanded upon a t the second lecture. I recommrnd that the fi&t lertur61,r ii..mayic"show or w e filled u,ith interesting and fun dernmstrarioni. ( A syllahusrnn he handed mrt, hut do nor dwrll on it.) 4iter all, most people h : ~ ese( n or hr.trd ahout chemistry ;hws,s cgr know ahour rhemistrv k i t s and are enthusiastic about seeing such shows themselves. Children are fascinated by the subject (until they grow up and take chemistry as a required course!), and this early interest should lie capi;alizd upon. To do this, you must nppesl to the "child" in \our students and In, willing to let y w r own "child" out. IS yo;do not enjoy chemistry a& doing and explaining demonstrations, then your students will not enjoy it either. Demonstrations as shows are important, hut so are the chemical phenomena and principles illustrated. Your opening Ie,.turr. will rnakea positivi iind lasting impact ; ~ s a s h o u1.atr.r . demmstrat~unsare mure for ttviching. At the end of the course I asked thestudents about several things. The relevant question for this paper was "Please write down anv comments vou mav have about how this course started." Of the 71 students who responded to this question all resnonded favorablv. Some of their verbatim comments follow: I thought the first day was really neat and recommend starting all classes that way. Set if off with a hang. Really got my attention and interest. I was scared stiff coming in. The demos and talks helped relax and prepare me. I was looking forward to class. I liked the way you started the course with the first class beings demonstration. It made things nicer because your class was the very first class I have ever had in college, and 1 was nervous hut your first class made it fun for me. I enjoyed how you started the course out "with a bang." I t was much better than beginning right away with a lecture and having no idea what you are talking about. These ideas may he more difficult to implement in other subjects, hut the intent can he followed. Chemistry is an enjoyable subject. Let us give ourselves a chance by starting off
by Dr. Carol Phillips is gratefully acknowledged.
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, Number 1. January 1980 1 67
