Language acquisition and orthography are two ideas from the field of linguistics and applied linguistics that are relevant to teaching organic chemistry. Language acquisition in children occurs without conscious effort. By hearing examples of the language, children internally codify the rules of the language and can generate language spontaneously. This ability diminishes with age, shutting … Continue reading Linguistic Considerations in Teaching Organic Chemistry
How Should Biochemical Topics Be Treated in an Organic Textbook?
In most organic chemistry courses, the majority of students are biology majors and/or have their sights set on a career in medicine or other health-related field. My own course is no different. Therefore, like many organic instructors, I believe that students ought to see the relevance of organic chemistry to biology and medicine. Why is … Continue reading How Should Biochemical Topics Be Treated in an Organic Textbook?
The Advantages of Mechanistic Organization [Video]
What does it mean to be a mechanistically organized textbook? What advantages does a mechanistic organization offer? Click here to watch more videos of Joel discussing why he believes teaching a mechanistically organized course presents the best path to student success in organic chemistry.
What Role Should the Organic Textbook Play in Helping Students Transition From General Chemistry?
Early in my teaching career I realized that a large percentage of my organic chemistry students weren’t carrying forward nearly as much from their general chemistry course as I had expected. This is a potentially enormous problem because without command of, and the ability to apply, several concepts from general chemistry, students will find it … Continue reading What Role Should the Organic Textbook Play in Helping Students Transition From General Chemistry?
Liberation in the Laboratory
One of the unexpected benefits of Joel’s organization was the discovery that students, once they learn the elementary steps common in organic reactions, can perform a limitless—at least in theory—range of experiments in the lab. (In the upcoming textbook, elementary steps are discussed in Chapter 7, midway through the first semester.) Since students have examined … Continue reading Liberation in the Laboratory
What About Nonmajors and Pre-health Students?
I am convinced that students learn organic chemistry best when we teach them how to work with mechanisms prior to delving into predicting products and devising syntheses. And when dealing with reactions, it is important to organize reactions according to mechanism, in order for students to have a sustained focus on mechanisms throughout the year. … Continue reading What About Nonmajors and Pre-health Students?
Is Organizing by Mechanism Necessarily “Higher Level”?
Because organizing by mechanism really helped me turn around my own organic chemistry course, I was eager to share what I had learned. Many instructors I’ve talked to over the years have been very receptive; some have even adopted this organization themselves. But I’ve encountered a good amount of apprehension as well. Some instructors worry … Continue reading Is Organizing by Mechanism Necessarily “Higher Level”?
A Story Worth Telling
I have been teaching organic chemistry at Jefferson Community & Technical College (JCTC) in Louisville (KT) since 1994. Although we are an open-enrollment institution, with a class size of thirty students or less, the chemistry classes at JCTC resemble those at a small liberal-arts college. I met Joel Karty in 2005 at a conference. We … Continue reading A Story Worth Telling
Functional Groups, Mechanisms, and Memorization
I began teaching organic chemistry some 11 years ago at Elon University, a moderately sized liberal arts school in central North Carolina. Like many professors just starting out, I was eager and committed to my students’ success. I knew that mechanisms were the key to this success because focusing on mechanisms worked for me as … Continue reading Functional Groups, Mechanisms, and Memorization