Chemical Education Today
Reports from Other Journals
The Science Teacher: Summer 2003 by Steve Long
The Science Teacher has had a few articles with a chemistry focus from December 2002 through May 2003. These articles may stir the interest of this Journal’s readers. The topics of the articles reviewed in this column include cooperative learning, demonstrations, activities, and mathematics. “Tricks with Wicks” is the catchy title for an article teaching the chemistry of the combustion of a candle. Bill Nixon describes an activity for students to discover “what’s burning in a candle”. Students observe a burning candle, ignite a piece of candlewick, attempt to burn candle wax, and ultimately ignite wax vapors. The activity emphasizes student observations along with experimentation. This Journal reported a demonstration on a burning candle in 1941 (1). A method of easily demonstrating the gain in mass of combustion products from burning wax candle is described. A problem common to many chemistry educators is the quality of student lab reports. Dana Hardy provides help in the article, “Lab Check, 1…2…3”. In this article, the author provides a “checklist of structural questions for writing a laboratory report discussion”. Hardy believed that “many students knew what needed to be discussed but couldn’t organize their thoughts and put them into words”. By providing a checklist of questions, students are better able to clarify thoughts and draw valid conclusions. As early as 1933 in this Journal Segerblom summarized the types and uses of secondary school laboratory notebooks (2). The historical perspective of the types, purposes, and requirements of secondary lab notebooks from 70 years ago is interesting. The article continues with other authors reporting on the use of laboratory notebooks in college, research laboratories, and industry. “Connecting Algebra and Chemistry” describes Sean O’Connor’s attempt to apply second-year algebra skills in a chemistry context. O’Connor recognized a drop in student performance in chemistry classes between first and second semester, which he attributed to the more complex mathematics required in second semester chemistry. He mapped the algebra course outline with the topics in chemistry, and he applied process integration where he plans “activities in one discipline that require the use of skills from another discipline.” The use of content-specific integration has proven to be most effective for O’Connor. “The MATCH Program: A Preparatory Chemistry and Intermediate Algebra Curriculum” (3) by Donald Wink and colleagues is a program that
integrates math and chemistry at the college level. This program links standard algebra with preparatory chemistry using peer-teaching, an integrated curriculum, and specialized assessments. Sandra Pratt uses a discovery lab on identifying types of compounds as the basis for “Cooperative Learning Strategies”. The author includes strategies for grouping students, assessment, and tips for success. A grading rubric for the activity is included. Pratt says, “In my thirty years in the classroom, I have found that cooperative learning is the best method to increase my success as a classroom teacher”. In an article in JCE, Marcy Hamby Towns describes her beliefs on cooperative learning and reminds readers that “cooperative learning is not simply putting students into groups and telling them to work together” (4). She details how to get cooperative learning started. “A common cookbook demonstration about density initiates a student inquiry” as Pamela Galus discusses in “Diet or Regular?” The concept of density is central to many sciences, including chemistry. Galus relates her technique for prompting student investigation into whether a can of soft drink would sink or float in water. Although this is a commonly practiced demonstration, the article includes variations that may stimulate readers to rethink this activity. The demonstration is one that has been performed numerous times and with numerous variations. It was described in this Journal by Checkai and Whitsett along with its variations (5). While few in number, these articles and references may provide readers with an incentive to further explore these ideas, demonstrations, and activities.
The Science Teacher Featured Articles
Pratt, Sandra. Cooperative Learning Strategies. The Science Teacher 2003, 70 (4), 25–29.
Nixon, Bill. Tricks with Wicks. TST 2002, 69 (9), 54–55.
Galus, Pamela J. Galus. Diet or Regular? The Science Teacher 2003, 70 (4), 45–47.
Hardy, Dana Carbone. Lab Check, 1…2…3. The Science Teacher 2003, 70 (1), 31–33. O’Connor, Sean. Connecting Algebra and Chemistry. The Science Teacher 2003, 70 (10), 38–40.
Literature Cited 1. Hirschhorn, I. J. Chem. Educ. 1941, 18, 107. 2. Segerblom, W.; Hopkins, B.; Baker, R.; Rose, R. J. Chem. Educ. 1933, 10, 403–414. 3. Wink, D.; Gislason, S.; McNicholas, S.; Zusman, B.; Mebane, R. J. Chem. Educ. 2000, 77, 999. 4. Towns, M. J. Chem. Educ. 1998, 75, 67. 5. Checkai, G.; Whitsett, J. J. Chem. Educ. 1986, 63, 515.
Steve Long teaches at Rogers High School, Rogers, AR 72756;
[email protected].
Visit The Science Teacher Web site: http://www.nsta.org/ 125/#journal (accessed Aug 2003).
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 80 No. 9 September 2003 • Journal of Chemical Education
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