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Ideas and Resources in This Issue
This issue contains a broad spectrum of topics of
potential interest to high school teachers, including chemical
safety, history, demonstrations, laboratory activities,
electrochemistry, small group learning, and instructional software. In his
report on articles published recently in The Science
Teacher, Steve Long includes annotated references from
that journal, and also from JCE, that provide timely and practical
information (pp 21-22). The chemical significance of several
anniversaries that will occur in the year 2000 are discussed in an article
by Paul Schatz (pp 11-14). Scientists and inventors
mentioned include Dumas, Wöhler, Goodyear, Joliot-Curie, Krebs,
Pauli, Kjeldahl, and Haworth. Several discoveries are also
discussed, including development of the voltaic pile, the use of
chlorine to purify water, and the discovery of element 97, berkelium.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Schatz has written an
anniversaries article (1-3). Although most readers probably
do not plan to be teaching in the years 2097-3000, these
articles can make a nice addition to your file of readily
available historical information for use now in meeting
NSES Content Standard G (4). In contrast to the short
historical summaries, an in-depth account of the work of
Herman Boerhaave is provided by Trinity School (NY) teacher
Damon Diemente. You cannot recall having heard of
Boerhaave? Diemente explains in detail how Boerhaave's scientific
observations, imperfect though they were, contributed
significantly to the understanding of temperature and heat by
scientists who followed him.
Chemical demonstrations attract the interest of most of
us, and Kathy Thorsen discusses several that appeared in
Chem 13 News during the past year (pp 18-20). Included are
demonstrations relating to LeChâtelier's principle,
electronegativity, and the synthesis and reactions of carbon
monoxide. Ideas for investigating the hydrophobic nature of
Magic Sand are given in JCE Classroom Activity #23 (pp 40A-40B)
and in an article by Robert Goldsmith (p 41). The 1999
Nobel Prize in chemistry and the research that led to the
awards are discussed in an article beginning on p 14. An
account of the 1998 winners appeared in last January's issue
(5), providing the basis for another convenient resource file.
Water droplets on a surface of Magic Sand.
For many students electrochemistry is
among the least favorite of the topics included in first- or second-year high
school chemistry - despite the many interesting applications that
students encounter every day. There are many reasons why
students find the topic difficult, but misconceptions about
current flow seem to present the largest obstacle to developing
a conceptual understanding of electrochemical processes.
Two university faculty members and a high school teacher,
Huddle, White, and Rogers, have developed a teaching
model to help students confront and overcome their
misconceptions (pp 104-110). They have conducted studies of the
impact of the model's use on student learning in both high
school and introductory college chemistry courses.
Particularly encouraging were the learning gains made by students
with weak academic backgrounds.
An action research project focused on student
perspectives of small-group learning is described by Towns,
Kreke, and Fields (pp 111-119). Although the project involved
upper-division undergraduate university students, action
research can be useful to any chemistry teacher who wishes to
systematically examine and improve instructional methods and
strategies. This article may be especially interesting to readers
who frequently employ small-group learning techniques in
their classroom.
Advances in the technology of multimedia delivery
are having an impact on the format in which new
JCE Software releases are available. In particular, CD-ROM and
Internet browsers are becoming increasingly important as the
medium and method of access respectively. To better
understand what is available for use in your classroom, read the article by
Jon Holmes and Nancy Gettys (pp 135-136).
Congratulations to Winners of ACS Regional Awards
The winners of the 1999 regional awards in high
school chemistry teaching are listed on page 26. Our
congratulations go to each of these individuals who, as stated in the
announcement, have "demonstrated excellence in teaching,
exceptional ability to challenge and inspire students, extracurricular
work, and willingness to keep up-to-date in the field".
Additional information about the awards and the nomination
process through which the regional awards and the national
James Bryant Conant Award are selected can be found at
http://www.acs.org/awards.
High School Day Program at San Francisco in March
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area be sure to
circle Monday, March 27, on your calendar now. Carolyn
Abbott and her organizing committee have planned a full day of
interesting activities. The full schedule of the day's
activities will be published in the March issue of
JCE.
Literature Cited
- Schatz, P. F. J. Chem. Educ. 1997, 74, 12.
- Schatz, P. F. J. Chem. Educ. 1998, 75, 23-25.
- Schatz, P. F. J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76, 8-11.
- National Science Education Standards, National Academy Press:
Washington DC, 1996; pp 200-204.
- Miller, J. J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76, 12.
Secondary School Feature Articles
 JCE Classroom Activity #23:
Magic Sand, p 40A
Determination of the Fundamental
Electronic Charge via the Electrolysis of Water by Brittney Hoffman, Elizabeth Mitchell,
Petra Roulhac, Marc Thomes, and Vincent M. Stumpo, p 95
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