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Building a Blended Culture in a Secondary Science Classroom

Dan Meyers | Mon, 08/21/2017 - 09:22

During my first year of teaching (in Indianapolis, IN), I was inspired by some research I had read as well as some other teachers in the Indy area who were flipping their classes. I was at a small parochial school where parental and administrative support for technology inclusion was present. My principal outfitted me with the tools I needed to “flip” my classes and record tutorial videos. Things went pretty well. It was a learning curve for many but I also had good feedback from students and parents.

This post was submitted for the 2017 ChemEd X Call for Contributions: Creating a Classroom Culture.

Elemental Haiku

Dan Meyers | Tue, 08/08/2017 - 07:25

In the August 4th issue of Science Magazine, author Mary Soon Lee shared a review of a periodic table that contains haiku for each element. There is an interactive periodic table you can click on; it was easily viewable in the mobile version of the article. 

Selling and Implementing Roles and Teamwork in the Classroom

Chad Husting | Fri, 06/30/2017 - 13:23

I saw the process of students thinking like scientists but what I struggled with, and I imagine many others do as well, is how students work together in groups. Yes...I know it is important but is this a big battle that I want to fight? I was fortunate to meet several people who have developed some wonderful “tricks of the trade” to help students work as “teams”.

 

Creating a Classroom Culture - Call for Contributions

Deanna Cullen | Fri, 06/30/2017 - 12:14

This Call for Contributions has closed. As many school districts are moving toward incorporating student-centered curriculum and pedagogy, many teachers have found that it can be difficult to initiate a classroom culture that encourages students to embrace the change which calls for them to engage in discussions and take more responsibility for their own learning. Chemical Education Xchange (ChemEd X) is interested in learning about how teachers are creating a culture of student-centered learning in their classrooms. For this reason, we are initiating our content specific CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS centered on the concept of “Creating a Classroom Culture”.

You Are Invited: Chemistry Instruction for the Next Generation

Deanna Cullen | Mon, 04/24/2017 - 20:47

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.

Creating an Organic Chemistry Reaction Pathways Flowchart as a Unit Summary

lowell Thomson | Fri, 01/27/2017 - 22:43

For a recent unit on organic chemistry for my IB students, I tried something new. I gave them a handout with a list of organic compounds (by class/functional group) and a list of mechanisms and reaction types. Their task (in small groups), using either butcher paper or a large whiteboard, was to create a flow chart of reaction pathways.

Hydrate Labs, Microscale Chemistry and Cage Fighting....

Chad Husting | Tue, 11/01/2016 - 19:56

For years my students would heat the hydrates in glassware, burn themselves, break the glassware and splatter salts and thus their data, all over the lab bench. A few years ago Bob Worley came up with a great microscale technique. Essentially, it takes a used bottle cap without the plastic and this is used as the dish. Next, there is about a three inch machine screw that goes through a drilled hole in the cap. A nut is placed on the screw to hold everything in place and cheap pliers are used to hold the entire assembly over the flame.