Erica K. Jacobsen

Engaging Students Inside and Outside the Classroom

This Especially for High School Teachers editorial describes some of the ways that one of the editors has used to share her passion for chemistry with students inside and outside the classroom and to engage them more over her years of teaching. Articles from the November 2011 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education are also highlighted, including those that emphasize guided inquiry and the use of technology in new and thoughtful ways.

National Chemistry Week: A Memorable Marker

This Especially for High School Teachers article discusses the connection of this year’s National Chemistry Week (NCW) to the International Year of Chemistry (IYC). Resources useful for NCW and IYC events are highlighted. The article also announces the planned departure of the two editors of the precollege chemistry section at the end of 2011 and the current search for a new editor.

Special Issues—IYC Style

This Especially for High School Teachers article discusses the Journal of Chemical Education’s plans for special issues during 2011 for the International Year of Chemistry. Two laboratory experiments are highlighted that involve students generating biofuels; other topics include a book review and recommendation, recognizing contributions others have made to our teaching, and information about upcoming spring and summer conferences.

The Constant of Change

“The only constant is change” sprang to mind while reading the draft version of this months issue of JCE. Wi-fi connection at the ready, I turned to the Internet for information about its originator. (It was apparently a popular activity this month; see Editor-in-Chief Norb Pientas column in this issue.) The Greek philosopher Heraclitus surfaced in connection with variants of the quote. A choice on the first page of the Google search results that appealed to me was a philosophy essay, which used the illustration of a river in a discussion of the quote (1). Even though the waters constantly change, it is still the same river. Smaller changes to JCE have been occurring throughout my years here. New feature columns have been added, current columns tweaked, the appearance and organization of the table of contents adjusted, and so on. An even larger change is upon us, as this is the first issue of JCE copublished between the ACS Publications Division and the ACS Division of Chemical Education. It has resulted in new workflows and an overall evaluation of how things have been done and how they should best be done in the future. It is likely changes both big and small are still to come. However, even though changes eddy and swirl around how JCE works, to use the illustration mentioned above, JCE remains the same river. It still remains the premier publication for chemical educators. Its content is still written by teachers, for teachers. The authors of articles in this issue still share great ideas that have worked in their own classrooms, for you to consider using in yours. Two examples that caught my eye are described below. Branan and Morgan describe “mini-laboratories” to supplement conventional laboratories (DOI: 10.1021/ed8000073). They share the example lab Banding Together where students make observations of temperature changes when stretching and relaxing rubber bands (see Figure 1). The lab experience itself really is “mini”, but can stimulate valuable discussion as students work through a series of questions, including a culminating final question. Occasional use of this style of lab may be one option to reduce the burden of lab report grading that Laura discusses later in this column. More than two dozen mini-laboratories are available at http://www.mini-labs.org/ (accessed Nov 2009). Driscoll, Gelabert, and Richardson (DOI: 10.1021/ed800021f) describe how their institution fosters connections across disciplines through the use of learning communities. Students still take standard courses, such as a first-year general chemistry course and microeconomics. However, various pairs of courses are linked through concurrent enrollment in a reflective tutorial, which explores connections of the two subjects and includes an experiential component, such as various hands-on community projects and field trips. JCEs Secondary School Chemistry Section As a brief update, Laura Slocum and I both continue to serve the high school readership of the Journal. This will include my serving on Norb Pientas new editorial board as an Associate Editor in the high school and precollege areas. Laura and I are bothworking on projects started even before the transition, including outreach to preservice teachers and a second JCE Classroom Activity reprint collection. We will also see you at the Spring 2010 ACS High School Day Program in San Francisco and at our usual booth at the NSTA 2010 national conference in Philadelphia. Lauras Take on the Issue We can probably all agree that lab reports are a necessary and required part of high school chemistry courses. However, grading them requires a substantial investment of time and effort. I just spent about 26 hours grading 124 lab reports. That is two sets of lab reports for two different courses, and I know that the number of reports I am grading is low compared to many of you. Lab report grading is the only thing I really dislike about teaching and the one area of teaching where I am always looking for a “simpler” approach. I found Gragsons and Hagans idea of peer-review, much like the approach of this Journal as it reviews submitted articles, intriguing and one that I am going to try in my Introduction to Organic Chemistry class when they turn in their lab reports. The students already do some of this in their AP English Literature classes, so they will not be completely surprised by reviewing each others work. However, I have never had them do this with their lab reports, so some definite direction and guidelines will be necessary. In the article, Gragson and Hagan (DOI: 10.1021/ed800015t) provide directions for how they guide their students through this process. I will mold their directions, which were used for physical chemistry lab reports, to fit my course and students. I am really looking forward to trying this process withmy advanced students this semester and then later in the spring term with my first-year students. Secondary School Featured Article 5Myers, R. J. One-HundredYears of pH.DOI: 10.1021/ed800002c. Literature Cited 1. The Daily Philosopher: The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change. http://www.thedailyphilosopher.org/daily/000011.php (accessed Nov 2009).

The Magic of Good Chemistry: An Interview with Jeffrey Hepburn, 2010 Conant Award Winner

This interview with the recipient of the 2010 James Bryant Conant Award for High School Chemistry teaching, Jeffrey Hepburn, conducted by JCE Precollege Associate Editor, Erica K. Jacobsen, highlights the teaching philosophies and practices of a remarkable chemistry teacher and magician.

Behind the Scenes with Chemistry

This Especially for High School Teachers article discusses the National Chemistry Week (NCW) 2010 theme, Behind the Scenes with Chemistry, and several NCW-related resources that appear in the October 2010 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education. A collection of art-related applications is also highlighted.

Quilt as Desired

In this Especially for High School Teachers column, adding a quilting design onto a pieced quilt top is compared to the chance educators have to stamp a chemistry topic with their own personal views and interests. Several articles from the May 2010 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education are highlighted.

The Sky's the Limit Thinking

This years Chemists Celebrate Earth Day theme is “Air—The Sky’s the Limit,” and several articles in this months Journal focus on topics related to air and the atmosphere.

A Year in the Periodic Table

In this interview, Alton J. Banks relates his experiences of collecting element samples and supervising videography for development of The Periodic Table Videodisc, published by JCE Software in 1989 and now freely available as Periodic Table Live! at the ChemEd Digital Library.

Having a Ball with Chemistry

This month�s issue focuses on the universally appealing theme of this years National Chemistry Week��Having a Ball with Chemistry.�