from Erica K. Jacobsen, JCE High School Editor
A family friend designs, builds, and sells furniture made from used wine barrel staves. His journey of developing production methods over the past couple of years has led him into new territory. He’s played a bit of the chemist, experimenting with the use and resulting look of various wood finishes. At times however, he’s looked for some expert advice and support for a particular product he’s using. The natural place to turn? The product’s support line. During a conversation with one of the staffers, he had a few specific questions about using the product. The staffer’s response was to read him the label on the can. His next question: have you ever used this product? Can you guess the answer?
The Journal of Chemical Education has always seemed to me to have its own monthly collection of experts. I don’t mean it in the elite, unattainable sense of the word; JCE’s authors are chemical educators just like you. It just means someone who has “used the product”. You can tell us how it worked in your classroom and why you find it useful. For example, Earl shares two concept maps that he uses to connect topics in general chemistry. He states “…I did refer to them [these diagrams] regularly in class, hoping that this would assist the students in understanding the relationships of the various topics.” He’s used it, has found it useful, and now shares it with other educators. If you have a particular question about how he’s used it that he doesn’t address in the article, he’s the expert you could turn to. He invites submissions to a new JCE Online Concept Maps column.
Hoffman and Beussman describe a laboratory that focuses on forensic chemistry and the analysis of paint samples using a reflectance spectrophotometer. They designed it for use with undergraduates, but I wondered if a high school might be able to afford the necessary instrumentation. They’re the experts on their own lab; I used the principal author’s email address from the article’s byline to ask how much their particular instrument cost, and whether a Vernier product Laura Slocum found on the Internet (Alta II reflectance spectrometer) would work similarly. He replied saying their spectrometer cost $9,000, but that it was useful for other types of spectroscopy analysis. He even emailed Vernier, and determined the product might work with the right paint color. Perhaps a teacher that uses the Alta II might do some testing and share the results?
JCE also offers the insight of regular columnists. King finds new experts every month and concisely summarizes their findings. Both teachers and students can read the column and learn about relevant, cutting-edge research. King also tells readers where to go to find additional information for any questions that might arise. Long puts to use his longstanding connections with both the National Science Teachers Association and JCE to expertly bring together articles from The Science Teacher and the Journal.
Monthly articles can often give us a starting point. We dip into the well of information provided, take it, and make it our own. You know your own classroom and style, and can mold the technique to fit your own environment. Brooks et al. and Dórea et al. both describe Web-based projects. One developed online courses for high school teachers, the other created a biochemistry tutorial for university students. These authors have given me a starting point for a Web project that I’ve been considering. I’d like to create a “potential JCE author” Web resource. A boot camp, if you will, to get high school teacher authors going on articles they’ve been meaning to write. Sure, my project isn’t exactly like the two I read about, but both articles gave me ideas for where I could go with the project, how I might construct it, what problems I might encounter and information on how others have fixed them. It’s a head start into the planning process. The next questions to consider: What should I include in such a site? What would make it useful for you, a potential high school author? As always, my email box (jacobsen@chem.wisc.edu) remains open for sharing and feedback.
Laura’s Take on the Issue
from Laura Slocum, JCE High School Associate Editor
Where are you right now? How is your semester going? Honestly, I am ready for Thanksgiving break and tired of grading lab reports. The students are not in a much different place. Some want to stop doing stoichiometry (really hard for us to believe, but true) and others are sick of electron configurations. The hardest topic for me to get them through is non-polar vs polar molecules and intermolecular forces. I will hit these topics right before Thanksgiving break when many students will already have started to “go on break”.
This year, I believe Mundell’s Dancing Crystals (see photo below) will provide the pick-up we need. I have not yet tried it with my students, but I am very intrigued as I watch the crystals dance so freely in my procedure trials. The chemicals are not expensive and the naphthalene odor is not overpowering.
That addresses the “just get me to Thanksgiving break” problem. Can any of you suggest ways to shorten the lab report grading? I know many of you have found ways; please share! The Journal is a great place for each of us to share what has worked for us. Erica and I are always willing to help you submit your work to the Journal. Take those first steps toward publication.
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