ChemEd X articles address topics in chemical education ranging across the entire spectrum of the chemical sciences.
Articles are contributed by the community and are open for comments. Please see our Contribution Guidelines for information about contributing to ChemEd X. To contribute an article, use our contribution form to describe the nature of the article you intend to submit. A ChemEd X editor will respond with further instructions.
In my previous blog post I described some problems I encountered when beginning my instruction on energy this year. From the misconceptions fostered by the biology textbooks using the phrase “high-energy phosphate bond” to idea that energy comes in different forms, the Modeling community recognizes the challenges of teaching the energy concept and has developed a way of talking about energy designed to help students construct a consistent and cohesive model.
Chemists Celebrate Earth Day—The Wonders of Water The April 2014 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers at http://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/91/4. The April issue features water and environmental chemistry.
I have long felt that teaching directly to the test is not the best way to approach education. Therefore I often include topics in my AP Chemistry classes that are not directly tested on the exam. More complex topics often help my students with building their grasp of fundamental ideas and leads to a better ability to understand simple and complex theories.
Teaching Chemistry and Making a Difference The March 2014 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers at http://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/91/3. The March issue features: changing the curriculum to make connections, forensic chemistry, computer-based learning, hands-on activities and labs for introductory chemistry, teaching physical chemistry, organic and biochemistry labs, and the mole concept.
In my last article I described several different strategies you could use in your classroom to integrate the use of whiteboards. Whiteboarding can be a powerful tool for increasing student engagement when it is implemented well. The success of a whiteboarding activity greatly depends on how well the instructor focuses the student interaction and guides the discussion.
Robert H. Hill, Jr., Ph.D., Chair, ACS Committee on Chemical Safety asked us to post the following alert about the Rainbow Demonstration. I hope chemistry teachers will share the alert with their networks.
Fostering Engagement in Nanotechnology The Feburary 2014 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers at http://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/91/2. The February issue features articles on nanotechnology in the areas of public engagement, instrumentation, and laboratory experiments.
ACS Publications—Most Trusted. Most Cited. Most Read The January 2014 issue marks the start of the 91st volume of the Journal of Chemical Education. This issue plus the content of all past volumes are available online to subscribers at http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc. The January 2014 issue will be available as a sample issue for the entire year, so the full text of all articles can be accessed without a subscription. Subscription information is available at http://pubs.acs.org/page/subscribe.html?ref=jceda8.
Changing the Landscape of Chemical Education The December 2013 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is available online to subscribers at http://pubs.acs.org/toc/jceda8/90/12. This issue of JCE plus the content of all past issues, volumes 1 through 90, are available to subscribers at http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc.
In my first post I mentioned using the Chemistry Modeling Curriculum (CMC) in my classroom. Although Modeling Instruction (MI) has been around for over 20 years, I discovered it during a workshop in the summer of 2010.