Adrian Dingle’s Chemistry Pages - The Blog

The book is finally finished

At last the final edits have been completed and my new book about the Elements should be going to print shortly. It’s been a hugely enjoyable project, and although it is NOT a weighty, academic reference, I think it will be of interest to many. When it becomes available I will be promoting mercilessly! Watch this space.

Critically grading homework

Since coming to the USA from England, I have had to adjust to many different attitudes, work practices and philosophies on teaching and the whole experience has certainly allowed me to grow professionally. As one would expect, some things are “better” here in the US, others not so good, but there is one thing that I have never really been able to grasp the wisdom of.

Many of my colleagues will set homework, but then will only do a cursory check for a few minutes at the beginning of class to see if the students have attempted it. The act of attempting to do the work is usually sufficient to gain a homework grade of some description. This seems like common practice in most classrooms across the country. I on the other hand, collect all the homework I set and then sit down and grade it critically - marking and scoring it for “correctness” NOT for effort. I have never understood the idea of getting kids to do work that is then not checked for accuracy. They could do all the homework in the world, continue to get it hopeless wrong, and what good would that do them?

Frankly grading literally thousands of problems each year is a monumental task that is not enjoyable in the slightest but I simply do not see any other way to monitor my students progress.

Nobody has ever convinced me of the merit of NOT checking homework for correctness.

Subscriber Update

AP Worksheet 2c ANSWERS have been updated.

Subscriber Update

A small typo has been corrected in the Topic 1 AP Notes - thanks Rebecca! 

Sig Figs, Units, Scientific Notation and other time consuming stuff

Well, I’ve been at school for a week now and as usual there is a colossal amount of stuff to do and it’s very hectic as we try to get the year off to a good start. In terms of teaching AP I feel that a fast start along with the setting of VERY high expectations and goals is absolutely crucial. This does a couple of things; firstly it sets the tone, and secondly it helps the kids see AP Chemistry as different to the other subjects they are studying. By emphasizing the fact that quite literally from day one we are focusing on the AP exam, they get a tangible goal that is often lacking in some other classes. Don’t get me wrong, great things are happening in other classes, but sometimes academically immature sophomores don’t quite appreciate the value of those other things and the attitude is a bit more passive! Given that this is their first AP class and they have NO background in chemistry we have to instill a sense of urgency and drive. In AP chemistry I want there to be no doubt about why we are here and what the goal is. In light of the need for a blistering start to the year, I find myself constantly frustrated by the relative triviality of my TOPIC 1 - Matter & Measurement. It seems as though sig figs, units, scientific notation and all that “math” stuff should either be taught ONCE in a science context, or perhaps not at ALL by scientists and left to the math folk. A few years ago I completely gave up teaching the stuff in TOPIC 1, and I went ahead and started assigning it as homework’s and test preparation on day one. We have a TOPIC 1 test, a few days into the year. Even by doing that, the constant (largely irrelevant) questions about the confusion over sig figs (they’ve heard it three or four times form different teachers with slightly different rules and expectations by the time they get to me) serve to distract the kids from FAR more important chemistry issues. I find the whole thing a real anchor working against me.

I think the solution is what I have said above - teach it ONCE in a ninth grade science class, or not at ALL and liaise with the math department so they can carry the burden. Even though this is review for many kids it hampers my momentum at a very important juncture.

Subscriber Update

The following worksheets have been updated in the appropriate subscriber areas;

 AP Worksheets 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d and 2f.

Subscriber Update

The AP Notes Topic 2 have been updated in the appropriate subscription areas.  The new version includes a general tidy up and some new notes on positron emission and electron capture. 

New on the site - PODCASTS!

OK, I have to admit that this is really just an experiment, and I am not sure if it will be a permanent fixture, but I wanted to give it a whirl at the start of this academic year.

On the AP course page, underneath the notes that can be downloaded, there is a “speaker” icon  that when clicked on will open a mp3 file. This can be played directly on your computer or downloaded to a mp3 player. I suggest setting Windows Media Player as the default program to handle the mp3 files, as it will start to play the file even before the whole file has been downloaded.

The files contain recordings of me reading through the notes on each topic. I’m not reading them verbatim, but I am trying to elucidate them a little. You will need a copy of the notes in front of you when listening to the audio for it to make sense.

I’d really love some honest feedback on these podcasts - really, I mean it! I have my own fairly serious reservations about their usefulness, so it would be good to have my thoughts either confirmed or contradicted. Anyway, let me know.

Subscriber Update

The following materials have been updated on the relevant subscriber pages;

AP Notes Topic 1, AP Worksheet 1a and AP Worksheet 1a Answers.

If your subscription includes any of these materials you will now be able to download the updated versions. The revisions include a general tidy up and the addition of a note about percentage error.

Course Introduction for AP course 2006-07

Updated AP Course Introduction for 2006-07 now posted;

http://www.adriandingleschemistrypages.com/apintro0607.pdf