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Chem13News@uwaterloo.ca
Inside September 2014
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Letters to the editor
I am uncomfortable with Sharon Geyer's article entitled "Phasing out the demo" (Chem 13 News, May 2014). Yes, it's fun and engaging for a student to make the thermite reaction come alive by smashing a rusty iron sphere against an aluminum foil-covered sphere — the sparks certainly fly. But let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. Without an initial teacher demonstration, accompanied by explanation and guiding questions, the exercise is reduced to entertainment.
Category: From our readers Letters to the Editor -
We are (almost) all mentors
Recently I had an interesting conversation with my newbie science teacher colleague, Christa Chisholm. I offered some unsolicited advice, as I frequently do. In a typically Canadian moment, I apologized for “telling her what to do”, but hoped that she wouldn’t mind, given the fact that I am older. In a moment of crystal clarity, Christa responded, “That’s okay, you can be my school Dad.”
Category: Feature Pedagogy, opinion and advice Editorials -
Stop, drop and roll
On February 19th this year I picked up my Globe and Mail from the doorstep and saw on the front page a horrendous image of a man desperately trying to protect his face with his hands as flames encircle his neck. You can see that the initial burns were just small sparks on his jacket (which must have been very flammable). The flames flared upwards from these sparks toward his head.
Category: Chemistry -
Elements of Safety
This first day of classes puzzle is for all students when safety needs to be reviewed...
Category: Feature Student challenges Magazine puzzles