The Factor of Time

Abstract

JCE Classroom Activity: #58. Bath Bubblers, by Mary E. Harris and Barbara Walker, p 1416A. Research provides opportunities for “critical, independent, creative thinking” (p 1367) frequently omitted from the classroom because of the limited amount of time we have to spend with the potential new members of the research world. Our students need to have “global skills before local skills” (Table 1, p 1362), but we also need to culture their natural curiosity and not hinder their intrinsic motivation. One of the best ideas that you can take from this issue of the Journal is that we learn by doing and observing experts practicing their tasks. Even though the cognitive apprenticeship theory directly reflects on graduate-level education, the lessons presented are pertinent to all ages. Students learn by modeling behavior (especially those who want to become teachers). The best teachers will always give constant feedback to their students like a coach who monitors and suggests ways for team members to improve, but again there is the issue of time. The Journal is never without teaching strategies and suggestions, many of which will decrease the time you need to develop dynamic lessons. Some take more time than others to implement, but all are innovative and thought provoking. Seetharaman and Musier-Forsyth (p 1404) suggest an active-learning strategy that can be adapted to any situation and academic level. They refer to this board-based activity as being like a jigsaw puzzle. After students read specific material, have them gather in small groups to discuss their readings. Students are usually less intimidated in smaller groups than they are when sharing their ideas in a large-class situation. Next, bring them back into the whole setting where they can assemble the pieces of the jigsaw. Shy students are now more willing to share with the class after having “tested” some of their ideas within the smaller group. DePierro, Garafalo, and Toomey (p 1408) present another interesting approach to instruction called inquiry teaching. It is the ultimate method in guiding students though the development of concepts (in this case fundamental concepts of force, gravity, mass, and weight). The authors guide us through a Socratic dialog to explicitly show us how to help students get from where they are conceptually to where we would like them to be. This one-on-one meeting of the minds is a learning tool that needs time, but will ultimately prove to be invaluable. Spencer and Lowe (p 1417) present a similar scenario on developing an advanced concept of entropy. These continually questioning dialogues should be shared with students, future teachers, and practicing teachers to help guide them through how to use the time-proven Socratic method of teaching—a great teaching and learning tool. A few other teaching tools in this issue include applications of chemistry in the real world (p 1437), pertinent analogies (p 1403), and a rich source of historical events (p 1393) that help to draw students into the study of chemistry. New Resources and Tips