Clik here to view.
Capturing the Beauty of Chemistry with an iPad
In my IB Chemistry class, my seniors were finishing up independent investigations for their Internal Assessment a few weeks ago when something cool happened. One of my students was using silver nitrate...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Too Many Questions!?!
As we pilot new laboratory activities in the classroom, my students and I are in constant dialogue. Not only do they leave feedback at the end of each lesson (what did you learn, what was your favorite...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bioenergy Institute For Educators
The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) is pleased to announce the 2016 Bioenergy Institute for Educators to be held June 20-24 at UW-Madison. Bioenergy is an exciting area of research and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Research Experience for Teachers in Bioenergy, Sustainable Energy Systems...
The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) is now accepting applications for our 2016 Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program, June 20 - August 5. RET participants spend seven weeks...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Quick and Easy Lab Practicals...
What am I doing to help kids achieve?How do I know when they are there?What is the evidence?Flinn Scientific has a great elearning video series. Many of the videos have master teachers demonstrating...
View ArticleClik here to view.
"Even Einstein Struggled: Effects of Learning about Great Scientists’...
What motivates our students to excel in understanding chemistry? For some students, they would like to pursue a career in a science related field while others are extrinsically motivated for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Using Chemistry to Find that Silver Lining
I recently gave a public lecture on my campus in which (among other things) I discussed the chemistry of metallic copper, silver, and gold. During the talk I conducted a chemistry demonstration very...
View ArticleClik here to view.
BCCE 2016
Early Registration for BCCE now open!BCCE 2016 will be held at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, CO.July 31 – August 4, 2016BCCE is not just for higher education anymore! Twenty years...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What is it a student should be able to do and explain? How do we find that...
What am I doing to help kids achieve?How do I know when they are there?What is the evidence? A perfect storm starts to form. We are on the concept of moles and I have some students who are struggling...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Group Work Dilemma - What Would You Do?
Hello Readers! There have been a TON of great ideas for guided inquiry (modeling instruction, POGIL, Target Inquiry, etc.). I do a ton of guided inquiry in my classroom. I have engaged in professional...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Art of the Chemical Demonstration
One of my favorite things to talk about with my colleagues is the use of lecture demonstrations in teaching. There seems to be a push in my district to stop using chemicals whenever possible and get to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
JCE 93.03 March 2016 Issue Highlights
Chemical Information Special Issue The March 2016 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers. The entire issue is devoted to topics on various aspects of chemical...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Especially JCE: March 2016
Is the cover of the March 2016 issue (see photo) of the Journal of Chemical Education a familiar scene? It is to me. I’ve spent many hours surrounded by shelves full of books and journals, in all of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Game On! IChO is back
Many of you familiar with me will know I have a great affinity for academic competition and was more than a little bit upset when the International Chemistry Olympiad was scheduled for Karachi Pakistan...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When am I ever going to use this????
What am I doing to help kids achieve?How do I know when they are there?What is the evidence? Fortunately, I am blessed to work with some fantastic people who, after a number of years, understand my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Four Ways to Fight Spring Fever
Today is the first day of daylight savings time. Ouch. My students are sleep-walking, zombie-like creatures with a single obsession: the countdown to Spring Break. Their teacher is no different this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Unexpected Source of Inquiry-Based Lab Practicals
Each spring my Local Section of The American Chemical Society (ACS) hosts a rigorous two part exam as part of the selection process for the The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) IChO is an annual...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Spring Fever, Stoichiometry and Specific Heat
What am I doing to help kids achieve?How do I know when they are there?What is the evidence? From the looks of things, we are all in the same boat. Spring fever. I had two groups of students. Both are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lab Report Feedback, Part 2: Using a Comment Bank to Provide Student Feedback...
I was sitting at my laptop marking up some labs and realized I had some students that kept making the same mistake as previous labs. So…this got me thinking. How can I get students to more carefully...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Self-Healing Concrete
Recently, I came across an article about self-healing concrete on the ACS Central Science open source journal website. Typically we think that the wear and tear of automobiles on the roads causes...
View Article