Inquiry & Chemistry Concepts

CURRENT ASSIGNMENTS FALL 2005

Plan to spend about an hour doing each part of the Web Assignments. You will be asked for a name and password; these were sent to you via e-mail. Be sure to hit the submit button to actually send your work in!
 Click here for a pdf copy of the syllabus.

Web Activity #1a - TOLT.  (to be done Sept.1--Sept.16)
This should be done before you do any course activities.

Web Activity #1b - Survey.  (to be done Sept.1--Sept.16)
This should be done before you do any course activities.

Web Activity #2a, (to be done Sept.1--Sept.16)
This should be done after you have done the LPVI yourself. (The LPVI was mailed to you.)

Web Activity #2b, (to be done Sept.1--Sept.16)
This should be done after you have given the LPVI to your students and averaged the score for each statement (1-25). (Total all the scores for statement #1, then divide by the number of students)

Web Activity #2c, (to be done Sept.1--Sept.16)
This should be done after you thoroughly read chapters 1-6 (pages 1-60) of Herron's book.

Web Activity #3a, (to be done Sept.16--Oct.1)
This is feedback about your visit AND reading of two handouts ("Introduction to the Formats" AND "The Learning Cycle Model") (You read "The Learning Cycle Model" Friday night.)
Remember that you can e-mail a rough first draft of your learning cycle any time. I will get comments back to you.

Web Activity #3b, (to be done Sept.26--Oct.1)
This should be done after you read two articles that you were given during your visit and chapters in one of your textbooks.
1) Abraham, M. R., & Williamson, V.M. (1992). Integrating the laboratory and lecture with computers. In W.J. McIntosh & M.W.Caprio (Eds.) Successful Approaches to Teaching Introductory Science Courses, (Monographs of the Society for College Science Teachers, Monograph 3), 21-28.
2) “An Educational Theory Base for Science Teaching” by John W. Renner and Edmund A. Marek;
3) Chapters 1-4 (pages 1-28) of the book by Lawson, Abraham, & Renner.

Web Activity #4a, (to be done Oct. 1-15)
This should be done after you thoroughly read chapters 9 & 10 (pages 105 -136) of Herron's book.
Select ten major concepts form the first ten chapters of the book you are now using.
Classify those concepts as concrete and formal.

Simplify the table on page 127 into two types of concepts. If materials can provide direct experience with the concept, it is concrete. Formal concepts are abstract. Some concepts have both concrete and formal aspects.

Web Activity #4b,(to be done Oct. 1-15)
Note: Before doing this activity, read the following articles that were distributed during your on-campus visit:
1) “Exercise in Inquiry: Critical Thinking in an Inquiry-Based Exercise Physiology Laboratory Course” by DePasquale, Mason, and Kolkhorst
2) “Group Problem-Solving versus Lecture in College-Level Quantitative Analysis: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” by Vickie M.Williamson & Marvin W. Rowe
3) "Students' Science Perceptions and Enrollment Decisions in Differing Learning Cycle Classrooms" by Cavallo and Laubach
 

FIRST (Rough) DRAFT VERSION! (No later than Oct. 15)
Complete and e-mail your FIRST DRAFT of your learning cycle (student and/or teacher editions) to me at: williamson@tamu.edu as an attachment. This version MAY be very rough. If it is more complete, then begin to worry about the format. I will get this back to you with written feed back.
Click here for a copy of the learning cycle format.
  

Web Activity #5a, (to be done Oct. 15-Oct. 29)
Thoroughly Herron read chapters 11-13 (pp. 137-182) before completing this assignment.

Web Activity #5b, (to be done Oct. 15-Oct. 29)
Thoroughly read Herron chapters 14-16 (pp. 183-228) and Appendix L and M (pp. 285-292) before completing this assignment.

Web Activity #5c, (to be done Oct. 15-Oct. 29)
Thoroughly read:
1) Chapter 5 of the Lawson, Abraham, & Renner book (pp. 28-36) AND
2) Lawson, A.E.,(1988). A better way to teach biology. American Biology Teacher, 50(5), 569-618.
3)Pavelich, M.J. & Abraham, M.R. (1979). An inquiry format laboratory program for general chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 56 (2), 100-103.
4)New reading-click here for the pdf. (I hope this is readable; we tried to make the file small so it would download easily.  Let me know if you experience problems, as I have a much larger file.)

Web Activity #6a, (to be done Oct. 29-Nov. 12) Before doing this activity,
1) read “Toward a Clearer Representation of the Crisis in Science Education” by Staver & Small. Click here for a copy.
2) Thoroughly read chapters 7 & 8 of the Lawson, Abraham, & Renner book (pp. 48-55)

Web Activity #6b, (to be done Oct. 29-Nov. 12)
Before completing this assignment:
1) you need to cruise the internet. You could start with the sites that are listed on our web page. You want to find a good internet site for chemistry teachers that is not on that list. Be able to give the internet address and a brief description of the site.

2) Thoroughly read chapter 6 of the Lawson, Abraham, & Renner book (pp. 37-47)

SEMI-FINAL VERSION!
Complete and e-mail your NEXT version of your learning cycle (student and teacher editions) to me at: williamson@tamu.edu. We must have this by 8AM Monday, Nov. 28th along with the chemicals and materials you want us to have ready for your Dec. 2nd-3rd visit!  This is the version that includes changes I made on your  first draft version.   
The stockroom has asked if we can get the materials list to them by Monday 11/21. Please send this in asap IF you want our stockroom to prepare things for you.
 Click here for a copy of the learning cycle format.		  

Web Activity #7a, (to be done Nov. 12-Dec. 1)
Note: Before doing this activity, read the following articles that were distributed during your on-campus visit:
1) “The Sequence of Learning Cycle Activities in High School Chemistry” by Michael R. Abraham and John W. Renner;

Web Activity #7b, (to be done Nov. 12-Dec.1)
Note: Before doing this activity, read the following articles that were distributed during your on-campus visit:
1)"Students' Understanding of the Particulate Nature of Matter, by Jonathan E. Singer and Hsin-Kai Wu
2) “A Cross-Age Study of the Understanding of Five Chemistry Concepts” by Michael R. Abraham and Vickie M. Williamson;
3) "I have found you an Argument" by George Bodner

Web Activity #8a, (to be done Dec. 4-Dec. 15)
 This is about your visit.  Please do it as soon as possible.

FINAL ASSIGNMENT!
This is the version that includes changes suggested at the time of your peer teaching during the Dec. 3-4 visit. Complete and e-mail your final version of your learning cycle (student and teacher editions) and your outline of the unit that would include this learning cycle.Your unit outline is a one-page list of topics, showing where this learning cycle would fall in your curriculum.

 E-mail to: williamson@tamu.edu

  
Web Activity #8b, (to be done Dec. 4-Dec. 15)
Thoroughly read Herron chapters 7-8 (pp. 63-104) before completing this assignment.

Web Activity #8c, (to be done Dec. 4-Dec. 15)
Note:  Do this activity after all other course activities have been completed, including your final version of your learning cycle (student and teacher editions) and your outline of the unit that would include this learning cycle.

This activity is a quick survey. Complete it after all other course activities have been completed.

Web Activity #8d, (to be done Dec. 4-Dec. 15)

This activity is a quick evaluation. There will be no names on this survey, so it will be anonymous unless you identify yourself with your response. Complete it after all other course activities have been completed.

 

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