Chemical Education Today
Especially for High School Teachers by Diana S. Mason
Transitions and Interfaces The number of students entering post-secondary education is increasing, so in turn more students are making the transition from high school to college. This transition requires that high school and college teachers communicate about curriculum and pedagogy. Many of the latest initiatives by NSF are predicated upon the as- CCA!6 sumption that these partnerships will be formed. One way to improve such communication and to find points-of-contact within the subject matter is through this Journal, which provides articles about both high school and college courses and serves to illustrate examples of today’s best practices. This issue, for example, furnishes much evidence that the study of biochemistry and the applications of chemistry to biology are increasingly important at the college level. One of the many goals we set for ourselves and our students is to make matriculation as smooth as possible. Did you know that some universities are offering an integrated organic-biochemistry course to entering freshmen (1) ? Reasons cited for the break from the norm are that students inherently find the applications of chemistry more interesting and this hook may attract more potential majors, plus it places what is now second-semester general chemistry closer to the study of physical chemistry (a more natural continuum.) Reported in the NSF Highlights (p 1311) is a program that offers a biochemistry option within the General Chemistry Track at Kennesaw State University. The authors report on several interfaces between their respective chemistry and biology programs, and within this program a large emphasis is being placed on needed tools/techniques (such as UV-vis spectroscopy, electrophoresis, and PCR). A particularly interesting article this month is in the Chemistry for Everyone section. Zovinka and Sunseri (p 1331) discuss the topic of photochemotherapy and the ability of this treatment to fight disease using UV, visible, or near-IR light with the administration of a photosensitizer. We live in a world that is more and more dependent upon the biological applications of chemistry and that has a substantial emphasis on laboratory techniques. Many of the selections in this month’s In the Laboratory section also center on biological and biochemical applications: triboluminescence (p 1344), analysis of Brazil nuts for selenium (p 1345), identification of yeast mutants (p 1348), enzyme chemistry integrated into a first-year biochemistry/chemistry course (p 1351), and synthesis of various organic compounds by advanced undergraduates (p 1353 and p 1355). In order to properly prepare our students, we must consider what academic background is needed: appropriately sequenced curriculum and employable laboratory skills. The National Science Education Standards (NSES) serve to address some of these issues. According to Lowery Bretz (p 1307), the NSES are having a “profound effect on curriculum development, assessment of student learning, and pre-service teacher education”. She reports on an innovative
Secondary School Featured Articles 䊕
Feature: JCE Classroom Activity: #48. Through the Looking Glass, p 1360A.
degree program for high school teachers at Youngstown State University. It integrates learning content with appropriate teaching practice, creating “pedagogical content knowledge.” There is also an extensive reading list that instructors of pre-service teachers and chemistry education researchers will find valuable. The JCE Classroom Activity for this month (p 1360A), Through the Looking Glass, complements National Chemistry Week’s activities (2) on how chemistry affects our world by allowing us to lead cleaner lives. Bringing practical applications for the study of chemistry into the classroom is one of the best ways to orient your students to the applicability of chemistry and engage them in the wonders of experimenting. This particular activity lends itself nicely to open-ended investigations and is designed so that students will have to employ combinatorial logical-thinking skills. Students’ interest can also be engaged by research projects. Schildcrout (p 1340) recommends the introduction of research methodology to undergraduates in a one-hour capstone course. What basic skills do our students need to begin independent research? The Journal is probably your best resource to answer this question. Chemistry Comes Alive!, Volume 6 (p 1381) is here! This latest addition to the JCE CD-ROM family contains more than 600 QuickTime movies and more than 3600 still images illustrating laboratory procedures and techniques. The laboratory skills found in this volume can be used for pre-laboratory instruction and you can also incorporate the clips into your own multimedia presentations. High school science courses provide the foundation that our students will take with them to college. Take time to think about what knowledge and skills your students will need for the next step. Science is a way of thinking in which prior knowledge determines the logical connections that will be laid down in one’s future. Understanding science will be easier when the proper building blocks with a large number of “points of integration” (3, p 21) among the subjects are presented to our students. Literature Cited 1. Reingold, I. D. J. Chem. Educ. 2001, 78, 869. 2. J. Chem. Educ. 2002, 79, 1360A. 3. Lederman, L. M. ARISE: American Renaissance in Science Education; FERMILAB-TM-2051, 1998. http://fnalpubs.fnal.gov/ archive/1998/tm/TM-2051.pdf (accessed Oct 2002).
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 79 No. 11 November 2002 • Journal of Chemical Education
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