Terra Firma:

1
Terra Firma
Physics First
for Teaching Chemistry to Pre-Service Elementary
School Teachers

• Michelle B. More, Chemistry
• mmore_at_weber.edu
• Bradley W. Carroll, Physics
• bcarroll_at_weber.edu

Weber State University Ogden, UT
2
B-C-P

• Today 99 of American high schools teach science
  in the fixed order of
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Sheppard, K. Robbins, D. M J. Chem. Educ.,
  2005, 82, 561-566.

3
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.

4
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

5
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.

6
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.

7
Physics is the Foundational ScienceChemistry 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.
8
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.

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The Rest of the Talk

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

10
Examples of PhysicsMore Than an Equation

• Balls falling
• Force equals mass times acceleration
• Trucks and penny rolls

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• Galileo All objects fall with the same
  acceleration.

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• Galileo All objects fall with the same
  acceleration
• Twice the force on twice the mass gives the same
  acceleration.

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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

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Using the Building Blocks From PhysicsConstructin
g the Atom

• Concrete Macroscopic to Abstract Submicroscopic
• Atomic Structure
• Positively and negatively charged subatomic
  particles

15
Using the Building Blocks From PhysicsConstructin
g the Atoms 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.
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Using the Building Blocks From PhysicsConstructin
g 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

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Using the Building Blocks From PhysicsUnderstandi
ng 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

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Acknowledgements

• We would like to acknowledge Spence Seager for
  co-creating this class.
• Some figures were taken from Suchockis
  Conceptual Chemistry, 2nd Edition.
• This talk was supported by a Hemingway Foundation
  Grant and Weber State University.