Diana S. Mason

It's Not the Way I Learned!

Articles of interest to high school chemistry teachers; emphasis on changing technology and its impact on the chemistry classroom.

21st Biennial Conference on Chemical Education: 2010—A New Decade for Opportunity

The mission of the Division of Chemical Education (DivCHED) is to serve the interests and efforts of all constituencies involved in the teaching and learning of chemistry at every level. The biennial conferences of DivCHED serve to sustain the mission and to continue a long-standing tradition since 1972 at Mt. Holyoke, MA, the home of the first open Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE). BCCEs have since developed into the largest gathering of chemical educators in the world. What makes a BCCE exciting is the opportunity to gather in an informal setting to socialize and to share ideas, expertise, and experiences with colleagues who are committed to excellence in chemical education. BCCE 2010 will be held in Denton, Texas, at the University of North Texas, August 1−5.

Rapid Response Systems

Identifies articles in this issue of the Journal that may be of particular interest to secondary chemistry instructors.

Teachers Teaching Teachers

How many times have you received an unexpected call or email asking you to do something for a group of teachers and/or students at the spur of the moment? (I know I have!) The first things I think about are: what did I do last time and how can I make this time different (and better)? I hate doing the same things that I feel “everybody has seen”, but coming up with the new ideas is sometimes very difficult. However, when I need a new idea, I go to the JCE Classroom Activities that are in almost every issue. (For the Activity in this issue see pp 672A–B.) The Activities are not just for students. You may find them quite useful for teaching peers about the fun and engaging aspects of learning chemistry and get some tested ideas that work and build skills. The Activities are so easy to find—just flip the pages, feel for the firm cardstock, and you’re there. You can use JCE Activities to supplement classroom laboratories and lectures, and you can also use them to teach teachers new tricks of the trade. Many Activities are submitted by practicing teachers who have great ideas that they want to share with others.

The Journal as a Living Textbook

Summary of issues of interest to high school instructors; emphasis on keeping current with changes in chemistry by reading the Journal.

High Reliability Organizations and Engaging Education

Overview of articles that may be of particular interest to high school chemistry teachers in this JCE issue.

Disciplina, Praedisium, Civitatis: Attend a Summer Meeting and Open Up Your World

Summer Reading, Recommendations by Dick Pagni, Hal Harris, Brian Coppola, and Jeff Kovac, p 648. It’s summer time! Do you have plans to cultivate your mind—or just chill out? There are many choices of conferences, workshops, and other academic programs to attend plus a multitude of summer courses, in-service workshops, and a whole bunch of recommended books (1). While this cannot be a complete list, some of the larger programs include the 17th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE) in Bellingham, WA (see p 660 for an overview of the meeting; see p 692 for an excerpt of a presentation at the 15th BCCE); the Fall 2002 ACS meeting in Boston; Flinn Foundation workshops in 15 locations; and several ACS regional meetings. Those who are more adventurous may want to attend the 17th International Conference on Chemical Education in Beijing, China or the “down under” summer conference—The Royal Australian Chemical Institute Division of Chemical Education National Conference 2002, November 30–December 4 (well, at least it will be summertime there!). Also, don’t forget to make plans for ChemEd 2003, to be held at Auburn University, the farthest south of any ChemEd conference! For more information about these meetings, see Notes.2–10 Have you ever been to a Journal-sponsored workshop? At most ACS national meetings we present workshops, exhibit the printed Journal, demonstrate JCE Software, and share tested ideas proven to enhance your classroom’s learning environment. At the 17th BCCE we are presenting “Experiments for High School Chemistry That You Can Use” on Sunday, July 28; “Chemlab and JCE: The Easy Way to Find New, Peer-Reviewed Lab Experiments” on Monday, July 29; “Developing Demonstrations for the Classroom and the JCE Tested Demonstrations Feature” on Tuesday, July 30; and “Enliven Your Classroom with JCE’s Chemistry Comes Alive!” on Wednesday, July 31. Monday to Wednesday you can also find us at booth 60 in the exhibit hall. If you think that there is nothing in these programs for you, then you couldn’t be more wrong—these meetings are wonderful experiences. You always learn a great deal, meet wonderful people, and enjoy fabulous parties! (BCCE includes the forever infamous Mole Day Breakfast11 at 6:02 a.m. Wednesday, July 31.) Check out the individual conference(s) by visiting their Web sites and requesting a copy of the programs (many have PDFs available online.) The majority of the conferences encourage you to bring your family because there are always planned activities for old and young children alike to enjoy. Beyond the camaraderie, benefits from these conferences include recharging the mind, relaxing the stress, and realigning your curriculum. Sharing with other like-minded educators with similar interests and goals is a remarkable experience. Maybe you won’t improve your Latin, but you might gain new insights into teaching chemistry. Valete! (2, 3).12 Notes

Especially for High School Teachers

. With articulations in mind, is there anythingthat can be done at the secondary level to aid thisnovel approach to chemistry course sequencing incollege? I would argue that physics first has manyadvantages.Many of you are aware of the movement afootto offer physics as the beginning high school sciencecourse, and I know that some of you already approachteaching the sciences from a “physics first” stance. Asin the commentary by Zare