Assignments in this course are divided into three different levels (we do not mean chemistry 1, 2, and 3). On the first level, the student is taught a routine skill, for example scientific notation. Given the rules, worksheets with solved problems, and repeatable quizzes which are computer graded, many students can accomplish level 1 without much teacher intervention. Were this an English course, level 1 would constitute learning the rules of grammar, how to spell, and how to read.

On the next level, students are expected to apply these skills (for example, recognizing the need to use scientific notation when recording the volume of water in a 500 mL beaker.) Most people need help at this level. Were this an English course, students could study Ralph Waldo Emerson to see and appreciate how he applies those level 1 skills to accomplish his purposes. In music, we might be listening to Stravinsky for much the same reason,.

On the highest of the three levels, students are expected to use these skills creatively. They need to figure out a route to solving the problem. It is on this level that teachers/colleagues should be most useful to the students. This does not mean that teachers will reveal the answers to the problem. Were this an English or music course, students would be involved in creative writing or composing music. In chemistry, we have our lab events and several level 3 projects.

We believe that a good balance (roughly 33% each) among these levels (routine skill learning, application with direction, and creative application) is the preferred distribution of assignments. This probably differentiates the course from many others which are likely to present a 60%, 35%, 5% distribution. Students will groan about the more creative assignments, yet those are also the ones they remember the most and seem, in the long run, to have enjoyed the most. More significantly, they are the ones, we believe, which are most important to their education. But of course, these assignments cannot be done without background, and that’s where the other two levels of assignments come into play. We also believe that creativity cannot be taught in an atmosphere of tension or fear. Fortunately, our students are wonderfully creative already, as they demonstrate over and over again as soon as they leave the classroom. Developing creativity further, we believe, requires a gentle atmosphere, one in which the teacher is encouraging, has confidence in the student, and is ultimately appreciative of the students’ efforts. We grade very gently those assignments designed to challenge a students’ creativity.

Related posts:

1. Advantages of combining different levels in one class Since our high school chemistry program is far more abstract and mathematically rigorous than our high school biology program, students who base their selection of...
2. Reducing Student Stress while Maintaining Rigorous Course Standards We face the difficult problem of attempting to assess individuals while most of the work and assignments are collaborative. We have a strong preference for...
3. Students Teaching Students in an Atmosphere of Discovery We believe that students learn best in a scholarly atmosphere in which cooperative learning strategies are used. Thus, lectures are minimized, students spend most of...
4. Delocalizing the Teaching Staff or Who’s Up There Teaching Our Class Now? Since our program is research oriented with a strong emphasis on question development, it is essential that students have access to chemistry teachers at all...
5. Mixing and Maintaining Course Levels We believe that students do not benefit from being isolated into different ability and interest groups. Such isolation may remove the most enthusiastic students and...