Each month feature editor Hal Harris recommends readings for teachers of chemistry and related sciences. Hal maintains a file of articles, pictures, and references coordinated with the topics that come up in his curriculum. Examples from that file make up this eclectic list of items he has read recently and which he thinks might be of interest to other teachers of science, especially chemistry.
Hal's Selections in
2010,
2009,
2008,
2007,
2006,
2005,
2004,
2003,
2002,
2001,
2000,
1999,
1998,
1997,
1996,
1995
Selection for January, 2010:
 "Am I Making Myself Clear?: A Scientist's Guide to Talking to the Public"
by Cornelia Dean, Harvard University Press 2009 274 pp. 978067036352, $19.95
The world has never more needed public understanding of science than it does now, and those of us in science education have a special obligation in this regard. The answers to health care, global warming, conservation of the environment, and so forth are not going to be found in science alone, but if they are to be addressed rationally, science literacy will be necessary. Cornelia Dean has helped to make it easier for all of us to be effective when we are given an opportunity, or when we make our own opportunity to address the public. This nice little handbook (it is even the size of your hand) provides excellent specific guidance for writers and speakers, from public lectures and debates to TV or radio "sound bites", letters to the editor, or writing for the Web. This book will help you make the most of those occasions. I intend to consult it regularly.
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 "Don't Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style"
by Randy Olson, Island Press 2009 206 pp. 9781597265638, $19.95
One of the most memorable lectures I have ever experienced was given by Nobelist Willard Libby. He spoke at University of California, Irvine in 1968 or 1969, but the essense of his talk about the atmosphere of Venus is still fresh in my mind because he told such an engaging, entertaining story. Filmmaker Randy Olson's perspective on science for the public is also that of a storyteller, and he has a lot to teach us about how science should be presented. He advises us to meet our audience on their own turf and with persuasion rather than argument from authority. If you want to see an example of his work on creationism and "intelligent" design, seek out a copy of his documentary video, "Flock of Dodos" on DVD. It is one of the fairest treatments I have seen. I haven't yet seen his work on global warming, "Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy", but I intend to do so soon.
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