Terra Firma: “Physics First” for Teaching Chemistry

to Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers

Michelle B. More, Chemistrymmore@weber.edu

Bradley W. Carroll, Physicsbcarroll@weber.edu

Weber State University Ogden, UT

B-C-P

• Today 99% of American high schools teach science in the fixed order of:

BiologyChemistryPhysics

Sheppard, K.; Robbins, D. M J. Chem. Educ., 2005, 82, 561-566.

Why Teach Physics First?• Students construct understanding.

– Physics is the foundation for chemistry. Mason, D. S. J. Chem. Educ., 2002, 79, 1393. Taber, K. CERP 2001, 2, 43-51. [http://www.uoi.gr/cerp] Resnick, L. Science, 1983, 220, 477-478.

Why Teach Physics First?• Students construct understanding.

– Physics is the foundation for chemistry. Mason, D. S. J. Chem. Educ., 2002, 79, 1393. Taber, K. CERP 2001, 2, 43-51. [http://www.uoi.gr/cerp] Resnick, L. Science, 1983, 220, 477-478.

• Referring to related concepts does not often lead to real

understanding. Tsaparlis, G. J. Chem. Educ., 1997, 74, 922-926.Tsaparlis, G. Res. Sci. Educ. 1997, 27, 271-287. Coll, R.; Taylor, N. CERP 2002, 3, 175-174. [http://www.uoi.gr/cerp]

Why Teach Physics First?• Students construct understanding.

– Physics is the foundation for chemistry. Mason, D. S. J. Chem. Educ., 2002, 79, 1393. Taber, K. CERP 2001, 2, 43-51. [http://www.uoi.gr/cerp] Resnick, L. Science, 1983, 220, 477-478.

• Referring to related concepts does not often lead to real

understanding. Tsaparlis, G. J. Chem. Educ., 1997, 74, 922-926.Tsaparlis, G. Res. Sci. Educ. 1997, 27, 271-287. Coll, R.; Taylor, N. CERP 2002, 3, 175-174. [http://www.uoi.gr/cerp]

• New information needs to be linked to old information. How People Learn; Bransford, J., Cocking, R. Eds.; Academy Press: Washington DC, 1990.Ausubel, D.; Novak, J.; Hanesian, H. Educational Psychology: A Cognitive View; Holt,

Rinehart, and Winston: New York, 1978.

Why Teach Physics First?• Students construct understanding.

– Physics is the foundation for chemistry. Mason, D. S. J. Chem. Educ., 2002, 79, 1393. Taber, K. CERP 2001, 2, 43-51. [http://www.uoi.gr/cerp] Resnick, L. Science, 1983, 220, 477-478.

• Referring to related concepts does not often lead to real

understanding. Tsaparlis, G. J. Chem. Educ., 1997, 74, 922-926.Tsaparlis, G. Res. Sci. Educ. 1997, 27, 271-287. Coll, R.; Taylor, N. CERP 2002, 3, 175-174. [http://www.uoi.gr/cerp]

• New information needs to be linked to old information. How People Learn; Bransford, J., Cocking, R. Eds.; Academy Press: Washington DC, 1990.Ausubel, D.; Novak, J.; Hanesian, H. Educational Psychology: A Cognitive View; Holt,

Rinehart, and Winston: New York, 1978.

• Most students entering college have poorly developed formal reasoning skills.

Bitner, B. J. Res. Sci. Teach. 1991, 28, 265-274.Chiapetta, E. Sci. Educ. 1976, 60, 253-261.

Physics is the Foundational Science;Chemistry is the Central Science

Physics: describes how particles, subatomic to stellar, interact without forming more complex structures.

Chemistry: describes how particles, atomic and molecular, interact to form more complex structures (other molecules).

Biology: describes how living complex structures (cells and beyond) function and reproduce.

No Gen Ed Science for Pre-Service Elementary Teachers

We teach as we were taught.

Lortie, D. Schoolteacher: A Sociological Study; The University of Chicago Press: Chicago, IL, 1975.

The Rest of the Talk

• Provide a brief overview of what we do in the class room.

Examples of Physics:More Than an Equation

•Balls falling

•Force equals mass times acceleration

•Trucks and penny rolls

• Galileo: All objects fall with the same acceleration.

• Galileo: All objects fall with the same acceleration

• Twice the force on twice the mass gives the same acceleration.

Examples of Physics: A Wool Sweater and Balloons

• Electrical Charge/Electric Field– The rubbing of a wool sweater with a rubber balloon results in

the transfer of electrons from the wool to the balloon.– Each charge object produces a electric field that is experienced

by other charged objects.

• Electrostatic (Electric) Force– Attraction of opposite charges (sweater and balloon)– Repulsion of like charges (two charged balloons)

• Polarization of neutral matter– Attraction of charged balloon to neutral objects

Using the Building Blocks From PhysicsConstructing the Atom

• Concrete Macroscopic to Abstract Submicroscopic• Atomic Structure

– Positively and negatively charged subatomic particles

Using the Building Blocks From PhysicsConstructing the Atom’s Nucleus

• Forces within the nucleus: Strong and Electric

Velcro Balloons

The strong force is dominant at short distances.

Charged Balloons

The electric force is dominant at larger distances.

Using the Building Blocks From PhysicsConstructing Compounds

• Ionic compounds (salts)– Forming ions, gaining or losing electrons– Electrostatic attraction of positive and

negative ions

• Covalent compounds (molecules)– Sharing of electrons– Electrostatic attraction of positive nucleus and

negative electrons from two atoms

Using the Building Blocks From PhysicsUnderstanding Strange Behavior

• Bending water– Polar molecule, electrostatic

attraction to a charged object

• Pulling wood– Polarizable molecules and

atoms, electrostatic attraction to a charged object

• “Like dissolves like.”– Electrostatic attraction of

similar molecules

Acknowledgements

• We would like to acknowledge Spence Seager for co-creating this class.

• Some figures were taken from Suchocki’s Conceptual Chemistry, 2nd Edition.

• This talk was supported by a Hemingway Foundation Grant and Weber State University.