Preview of Chemistry Instruction for the Next Generation

Announcing a Unique Virtual Conference: Chemistry Instruction for the Next Generation

Registration is now open for the inaugural Chemical Education Xchange Conference with a theme of Chemistry Instruction for the Next Generation. Recent chemical education research has informed the expectations of the Next Generation Science Standards and the revised AP chemistry curriculum along with changing expectations at the postsecondary level. The Journal of Chemical Education is sponsoring the virtual conference to support the chemistry education community by bringing together chemistry education researchers and chemistry educators at the secondary and postsecondary level to address the implications of increasing the use of student-centered strategies. The conference runs May 8 through May 27.

You Are Invited: Chemistry Instruction for the Next Generation

ChemEd X and the Journal of Chemical Education (JCE) are collaborating to offer a virtual conference like most have never seen before. It is not a webinar. You do not have to schedule specific hours to view a live presentation. I think of it as similar to a virtual book/journal club with the added benefit of having the author leading it. In this case, authors were selected from among those who have published recent articles, activities and research in JCE on the topic of student-centered instruction in chemistry. The theme of this inaugural conference is Chemistry Instruction for the Next Generation.

Session 1: Evidence for the Effectiveness of Inquiry-Based, Particulate-Level Instruction on Conceptions of the Particulate Nature of Matter

Evidence for the Effectiveness of Inquiry-Based, Particulate-Level Instruction on Conceptions of the Particulate Nature of Matter was published in the February 2012 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education. The authors, Chad Bridle and Ellen Yezierski, will lead off the ChemEd X Conference: Chemistry Instruction for the Next Generation with the first session. Bridle is a high school teacher in Michigan. He participated in the Target Inquiry Program at Grand Valley State University. Yezierski, now at Miami University, co-founded the program with Debbie Herrington. As the title of their article suggests, the authors focused on evaluating the effectiveness of several of the activities that were created by Bridle and other members of the cohort that focused on the particulate-level.

The Conference opens on May 8th with an introduction from the organizers. The presentation for session #1 opens on this day as well. The session is open for discussion May 10 - May 12.

Session 2: Analyzing the Role of Science Practices in ACS Exam Items

Jessica J. Reed, Alexandra R. Brandriet and Thomas A. Holme of the Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa published their JCE article, Analyzing the Role of Science Practices in ACS Exam Items, in November 2016. The article addresses the "challenge of creating “three-dimensional” assessments that measure beyond basic content knowledge mastery to incorporate measures of science practices and crosscutting concepts" as quoted from their article.

Attendees may preview the JCE article and additional materials provided by the authors May 13 and 14. The session is open for converation May 15 - 18.

Session 3: How the Chemistry Modeling Curriculum Engages Students in Seven Science Practices Outlined by the College Board

This presentation provides a collection of articles Erica Posthuma-Adams has written on the topic of Modeling Instruction in her chemistry classroom. Her JCE article, How the Chemistry Modeling Curriculum Engages Students in Seven Science Practices Outlined by the College Board, was in response to a JCE Call for Contributions concerning the recent College Board redesign of the AP Chemistry curriculum.  

The materials included in this session may be viewed May 16 & 17. The session is open for discussion May 18 - May 20.

Session 4: Collaborative Professional Development in Chemistry Education Research: Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice

Hannah Sevian and her team of high school chemistry teachers, middle school science teachers, post-doctoral researcher and PHd students published their JCE article, Collaborative Professional Development in Chemistry Education Research: Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice, in 2012. They have augmented that article with more information about what they have learned and been doing since that time.

The materials included in this session may be viewed May 20 & 21. The session is open for conversation May 22 - May 24.

Session 5: Nature or Naughty: Bringing “Deflategate” to the High School Chemistry Classroom

Elizabeth Megonigal created an activity including a real-world issue. He activity, Nature or Naughty: Bringing "Deflategate" to the High School Chemistry Classroom, was published in JCE in November of 2015. She has included a slide presentation to augment that article.

You can preview the article and slide presentation May 22 & 23. The session is open for discussion May 24 - 26.

Session 6: The Dynamic Density Bottle: A Make-and-Take, Guided Inquiry Activity on Density

Tom Kuntzleman published his activity, The Dynamic Density Bottle: A Make-and-Take Guided Inquiry Activity on Density, in JCE in 2015. He shared more details about this activity in his blog on the ChemEd X website. A collaboration developed between Tom and Grazyna Zreda, a high school chemistry teacher. Some of the augmented materials include ChemEd X blogs including video.

You can preview the original article and extra materials May 23 & 24. The session is open for conversation May 25 - 27. You might note that there is some intentional overlap of these last two sessions.