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Secondary School Feature Article
- Determination of the Universal Gas Constant,
R. A Discovery Laboratory, by David B. Moss and
Kathleen Cornely, p 1260.
- JCE Classroom Activity: #37. Putting It All Together:
Lab Reports and Legos, p 1192A
Basic Skills
With increasing frequency, I hear comments
by both high school teachers and those who teach introductory
college courses decrying the lack of observational skills among students.
Although the National Science Education Standards
and revised state curriculum frameworks emphasize greater use of learner-centered
instruction, including hands-on experience with chemicals,
materials, and manipulatives, the problem does not seem to go away. My
purpose here is not to criticize anyone--pre-chemistry
science teachers, the students, or their parents--but to suggest
some resources that can be integrated into the first chemistry
course and perhaps the physical science courses that
precede it. Even if your students have good observational skills, these
resources are valuable.
One approach is to have students record
observations in writing. Outside the classroom, students experience
little that requires them to practice this skill. For example,
writing observations while learning an action-oriented
computer game is probably a waste of time--perhaps even
counterproductive to mastery. Even if the students gained experience
in pre-high-school classes writing about observations, the skill
may need refreshing. This issue contains a
JCE Classroom Activity (p 1192A) that confronts students with the need to
record observations, but does so in an engaging approach that I
believe students will enjoy. Everyone likes Lego blocks.
Students are shown variously shaped objects made from
Legos. After examining one of the objects and
setting it aside out of sight, the student chooses blocks from an
unassembled set and tries to construct an identical object from memory. In most
cases the resulting object does not resemble the original. The
student then reexamines the object and writes instructions
for its construction. The object is again set aside and the
student reconstructs it using the written instructions. As
with every JCE Classroom Activity, this one is supported
with questions, addresses of Web sites containing additional
information, print references, and a page for the instructor.
The activity also involves spatial perception skills,
although this is not a stated objective. As a high school
student, I learned a great deal from the drafting component
of required 7th- and 8th-grade "shop" classes. Unfortunately,
only half of my classmates had that experience because shop
classes were all male. A way for all students to reap the benefits
of such learning is explained in an article with the intriguing
title "From the Wood-Shop to Crystal Engineering:
Teaching Three-Dimensional Chemistry" (p 1195). The author
explains how students can benefit from learning to draw
two-dimensional projections of simple objects such as cubes.
Although his purpose is to prepare college chemistry students to
comprehend complex crystal structures, the discussion applies
to simpler structures as well. Published accounts of
three-dimensional modeling approaches to developing spatial perception,
specifically with regard to crystal lattice models,
include using pom pons to illustrate crystal lattice structure
(1) and making unit cell model kits (2,
3). An economical and versatile kit for constructing unit cell models is
also available.1
Skill in making and testing hypotheses can be
developed in many ways, and, like all skills, cannot be achieved by
a single activity. One approach is described in the article
titled "Ob-scertainersTM: A Cooperative Activity
on Hypotheses" (p 1193). Although the paper is
written in the context of college teaching, the approach could be used in high school
with little modification. Many readers who teach high school
science are familiar with the Ob-scertainer device. It offers
some advantages over variations in the home-made black-box
devices that have been in use since Chemical Bond Approach
days, not the least of which is eliminating the time consumed
in collecting materials and assembling the boxes.
Specific Examples
Looking for inspiration and encouragement? Be sure
to read the interview with 2001 Conant Award winner
Barbara Sitzman (p 1151). Sitzman provides insight into how she
has dealt with the daily challenges and opportunities that a
high school chemistry teacher faces.
Looking for humor to use in the classroom? A
collection of humorous skits written by Rubin Battino has
been placed on the HS CLIC Web site . Each skit relates to a chemical concept or a body
of chemical knowledge through word play and funny situations.
Looking for great National Chemistry Week 2001
resources on Chemistry and Art? Watch for the October
and November issues of JCE. For more details about what to
expect see pages 1158 and 1194 of this issue.
Note
1. Solid State Model Kit. Available from the Institute
for Chemical Education, Department of Chemistry, University
of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Ave., Madison, WI
53706-1396; phone 608/262-3033; fax 608/265-8094.
Literature Cited
1. Cady, S. G. J. Chem.
Educ. 1997, 74, 794.
2. Laing, M. J. Chem.
Educ. 1997, 74, 795.
3. Mattson, B. J. Chem.
Educ. 2000, 77, 622.
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