Through pedagogical literature, it is possible to identify strategies and techniques that professors have used to teach chemistry and make it less challenging. Three of the most effective strategies for student success encountered throughout the research were: engaging lectures, relevant practice material, and peer tutoring. A prominent theme in pedagogical literature, regarding strategies that professors use to make chemistry less challenging, are engaging lectures. The survey conducted recognizes that the majority of students taking chemistry, particularly introductory courses, are not interested in actually taking the course, it is simply a requirement for them. With that in mind, it is essential to be aware that the lectures are …show more content…
Interactive lectures include notes on the board, which enable the students to follow lessons with ease, as well as visuals, such as diagrams, which should be simple and clearly labeled. Research from Juan Abascal (2009) has indicated that "after hearing a ten-minute presentation, the average person understands and retains only about half of what was said." For example, a student can be present in class and hear every lecture and never truly comprehend the material. This boils down to the difference between hearing and listening; the former refers to something that occurs passively, whereas the latter is an active choice people make. In order for students make the choice to actively listen depends on the professor's execution of the lecture. Furthermore, engaging lectures increase participation in the class and increase student's motivation to learn chemistry by linking it to something they like (such as the teaching style of the professor). Also, another difficulty found through our survey was lack of preparation. Since college classes are formed from a …show more content…
For a STEM college student, the first introductory large lecture rooms are cause of concern for many. When students come from high school, most of them have not experience a college level class or just a detailed science class. With the purpose of finding ways to engage students in the course material and increase their mastery of concepts, many universities have implemented the Peer Led Team Learning models, also known as PLTL. This is a model for undergraduate STEM courses, such as General Chemistry. Kieran Lim ((2007) explains how, with voluntary enrollment, this model engages students in weekly, small one to two-hour workshops, usually eight students per one peer leader, so they can exchange ideas, further delve into their understanding of the course material, and solve problems. The leader of the discussion is usually a fellow student fluent in the content being discussed. An important benefit of PLTL is the individualized teaching it offers. Teachers have other responsibilities and may not have time for long sessions with students. However, a fellow classmate, who is taking the same topics and dominates the material, offers a familiar face that can increase students' motivation to study. The critical components for this model are: tutoring sessions, having faculty closely involved and leaders closely supervised, challenging materials critical to content learned in class, and support from
Loh explains that not every college professor is properly taught how to give a lecture, making it difficult for students to get the correct education from a professor who isn’t trained to explain the material. Various colleges and universities are starting to stray away from the traditional lecture and begin a more hands on approach to teaching a college course, while professors are looking to get rid of the college lecture completely. A research study showed classes that had an interactive approach as opposed to the traditional style resulted in better academic grades and a “36 percent drop in class failures.” Many educators prefer
...now that as a student I just sit there and try to get everything written down before the professor moves on and am so focused on writing down everything that I don’t always hear what the professor is saying. What most students don’t realize is it’s not what the professor has put together, but what the professor has to say about the material that is really important.
... all, everyone is different in their own respective way and some people might have the ability to simply comprehend all they hear, unlike myself I feel like I teach myself more on my own or with others than if I were sitting down and taking notes. The only problem with just listening during a lecture is that people don’t retain all that information over a long period of time. Most of the information is stored in the brain until that test comes and all the information leaves when you hand in the test.
Chemistry 1A03 is a discussion of chemical fundamentals, including bonding, structure, reactivity and energetics, with emphasis on applications to health, energy and the environment. The typical week for chemistry starts on Mondays where I watch online modules covering the information in the weekly lectures. Before the lectures but after watching the modules, an online quiz is due at midnight every Tuesday must be completed. Some may find this structure for learning odd however, it helps hone my time management skills as the deadline for the weekly quizzes is rather rigid. Furthermore, the quizzes force me to learn the material and mitigates the effects of procrastination. Procrastination is the bane of my success and leads me to cram my learning.
The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry by Larry Gonick and Craig Criddle is a non-fiction book that utilizes visual images and cartoons to cover the basics and intricacies of Chemistry. It consists of two-hundred and fifty-six pages and was published by Collins Reference on May 3, 2005. It covers topics such as chemicals reactions, solutions, acid basis, and chemical thermodynamics in unique fashion that makes chemistry fun and easy to learn as well as understand. The book has no consistent build up or story to it. It simply moves from chemistry subject A to chemistry subject B, explaining the various components that make up the subject of chemistry.
Literacy embraces reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Integrating all of these into a literacy program is key. Teachers must provide endless and ongoing opportunities for their student to read, write, listen, and speak.
Smith, Roland. Conquering Chemsitry: HSC course. 4th ed. Vol. 1. N/A: Cengage Learning Australia, 2010. 74-90. 1 vols. Print.
...passive and active. While both types of listening are better than nothing, active listening tends to promote better relational outcomes. The primary difference between the two is that the goal of active listening is to understand what is being said, while the goal of passive listening is to merely hear what is being said. I choose to be an active listening by giving non-verbal cues to demonstrate that I am paying attention (nodding, making eye contact, making facial expressions appropriate to what is being said) and reflecting back the main points and summarizing what has been said. If we give the feedback, lecturer will know that he’s not talking alone in the classroom.
Over the years, I have developed an innovative approach to teaching and conducting research with undergraduates through creating and presenting course materials in both laboratory and classroom settings. In my experience, the best teaching involves concrete, hands-on examples, so I engage students in my courses by encouraging the maximum laboratory participation possible.
While I believe every child is a reader, I do not believe every child will be enthralled with reading all the time. All students have the capability to read and enjoy reading, but just like any other hobby, interest will vary from student to student. The students in my classroom will be encouraged in their reading, be provided with choice, taught how books can take you into another world but, my students will not be forced to read. This paper will illustrate my philosophy of reading through the theories I relate to, the way I want to implement reading and writing curriculum, and the methods I will use motivate my students to read and help them become literate.
One of the biggest factors that affect student engagement has to do with the behavior and engagement of the teacher. Students model their behavior and enthusiasm, largely after the person leading the class (Csizer & Dornyei,1998). This means that how organized, attentive, and engaged students are, is a direct reflection of the teacher and their organization, attentiveness, and engagement. Presenting material in the clearest and most effective way while conveying the concepts that you are teaching properly can be a big motivating factor for students (Csizer & Dornyei,1998). If the teacher is vague, unclear, and disorganized, students are going to lose motivation and might become anxious and confused.
I was fortunate enough to take Advanced Placement Chemistry. During my time in this class, I learned a great deal about this expansive subject. Though very hard and challenging, this class was very rewarding. My High School does not offer many classes that involve critical thinking on a college level. Throughout the course, I realized how extremely interesting chemistry really was. I learned in depth electron transport, equilibrium constants, and thermodynamics. Learning how complex some simple everyday occurrences are was fascinating. The burning of a candle may seem simple from the view of a naked eye. On a chemical stand point, it is complex as a rocket taking off. Everybody knows that if you run an electrical current through water, you will be electrocuted. However, this is only due to the electrolytes dissolved in the water providing a road of positive and negative charges for the current to flow. Pure water does not allow for the flow of a current because there are no electrolytes. To me, learning on such a small scale is more enjoyable than learning on a regular or large scale. The small scale of chemistry affects everything on the regular and large scale. The importance of chemistry is what makes it so
Proponents claim that learners’ academic achievement can be significantly improved with the effectiveness of use of collaborative learning. The active exchange of ideas within small groups increases interest among learners and also promotes critical thinking and deeper levels of understanding of concepts (Benware & Deci, 1984). According to Johnson & Johnson (1986), there is convincing evidence that collaborative teams achieve high level of thoughts and retain information longer than learners who work as individuals. The shared learning gives learners an opportunity to engage in discussion, take responsibility for their own learning, and thus become critical thinkers (Totten, Sills, & Russ, 1991).
Scarnati, J. T. (2001). Cooperative learning: make groupwork work. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 67(Fall), 71-82.
First let’s take a look and evaluate the classroom by observation to see what need to be improved. One idea that came to mind was some teacher were using peer tutoring as a tool to get out of instruction, thus they were not paying sufficient attention to the students as they worked. The article titled: Using Peer Tutoring to Facilitate Access discussed the findings of this teaching strategy in all levels of learning and basics subjects. This strategy has been defined as one of best ways to reach the student. In comparison to Gusky’s ideas, there is a relationship between professional development and improvement in student learning. For improved student learning peer tutoring is higher achieving students being linked with lower achieving students to promote social enhancement and academic gains. There are three different kinds of peer tutoring; cross-age, peer assisted learning strategies, and reciprocal. Each kind was broken down and explained descriptively. The one that really stood out to me was the reciprocal tutoring. This was illuminating because the students are grouped together with two or more. They have ...