392 Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 74 No. 4 April 1997

In the Classroom: Writing

I have observed that many students approach physicalchemistry as an exercise in flipping through the textbookto find the right equation. Although these students oftencalculate correct answers on exams, they do not understandthe physical and chemical processes behind their answers.

Teaching the quantum chemistry section of this coursepresents an additional challenge; I can not appeal to thestudent’s physical intuition. When I was introduced to writ-ing to learn (1), I found a tool that helped me address thisteaching challenge. Writing to learn has worked well in in-troductory classes (2–6), but has not been used as exten-sively in upper-level classes (7, 8).

The Assignments

Two problems had to be addressed before trying thiskind of writing assignment: limited time and the need for anappropriate text on which to base the discussion. The bookIn Search of Schrödinger’s Cat: Quantum Physics and Real-ity, by John Gribbin (9), provided the basis for my writingassignments. This book traces the discovery of subatomicparticles and atomic structure, outlines the failures of clas-sical physics, and provides a nonmathematical overview ofthe interpretation of quantum mechanics. Written for thenonscientist, it is accessible to undergraduate students.

The book was assigned in three parts, and studentswrote a short (2–3 pages) essay as part of each assignment.To focus their writing, they were asked to respond to sev-eral questions. The assignments are shown below. The es-says counted as homework assignments and were not as-signed a letter grade. I commented on the content and re-sponded to student questions.

Assignment 1

Read Part 1 (Chapters 1–4) of the book. As you read,consider the following questions:

• From your previous understanding of physics, are yousurprised by the wave/particle duality of light?

• Has your understanding of the structure of the atomchanged?

• Does this reading clarify any questions which you hadafter reading sections 10.1–10.4 of the textbook?

• What questions do you still have?

Assignment 2

Read Chapters 5 & 6 of the book. As you read, considerthe following questions:

• How does the description of electrons from GeneralChemistry compare to that presented here?

• What is your reaction to the first paragraph of the sec-tion entitled “A Break with the Past” (p 91)?

• How does this reading clarify any questions which youhad about the Schrödinger equation after reading thetextbook?

• What questions do you still have?

Assignment 3

Read Chapters 7, 8 & 10 of the book. As you read,consider the following questions:

• How does our desire to make a model (wave/particle)hinder our understanding of quantum mechanics?What alternatives do we have to making a physicalmodel?

• How do you suppose that concepts as important asthose of quantum mechanics (Chapter 7) have escapedpublic notice?

• How does the interaction of observer and experimentin quantum experiments limit our ability to interpretthe results of these experiments? Has your under-standing of uncertainty changed?

• What questions do you still have?

Discussion

Although I was frustrated by my students’ initial re-luctance to try a new approach to learning this subject, Iwas struck by the difference these writing assignmentsmade in our coverage of quantum chemistry. The students’essays raised many thoughtful questions, and our subse-quent class discussions were livelier, broader in scope, andmore interesting than in previous years. The students wereparticularly interested in the controversy and passionatedisagreement that surrounded the development of quantumtheory.

This type of paired reading/writing assignment couldbe used in almost any chemistry class where an outside textcould expand the coverage of lecture material.

Acknowledgment

I am deeply grateful to Donnalee Rubin of the EnglishDepartment at Salem State College for her help in compos-ing the essay assignments and in preparing this manu-script.

Note

1. This work was presented at the 13th Biennial Conferenceon Chemical Education.

Literature Cited

1. Connolly, P. In Writing To Learn Mathematics and Science;Connolly, P.; Villardi, T., Eds.; Teachers College: New York, 1989;Chapter 1.

2. Beall, H. J. Chem. Educ. 1993, 70, 10–11.3. Beall, H.; Trimbur, J. J. Chem. Educ. 1993, 70, 478–479.4. Cooper M. M. J. Chem. Educ. 1993, 70, 476–477.5. Strauss, M. J.; Fulwiler, T. J. Coll. Sci. Teach. 1987, 16, 256–262.6. VanOrden, N. J. Chem. Educ. 1990, 67, 583–584.7. Wilson, J. W. J. Chem. Educ. 1994, 71, 1019–1020.8. Combs, L. L. J. Chem. Educ. 1993, 70, 462–464.9. Gribbin, J. In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat: Quantum Physics and

Reality; Bantam: New York, 1984.

Writing Assignments in Physical Chemistry1

Lorrie ComefordDepartment of Chemistry and Physics, Salem State College, Salem, MA 01970