My workshop proposal for this summer’s ChemEd 2011 conference has been accepted, so I will be presenting a workshop entitled Converting Existing “Cookbook” Laboratory Experiments to Inquiry Format at this year’s conference.
The workshop description is:
Participants will be taught a method for converting “cookbook” experiments to inquiry format. After a brief presentation, participants will divide into groups. Each group will choose a cookbook experiment, modify it, and present it to another group. Groups will perform and evaluate each other’s experiments.
One of the requirements for presenters is to agree to abide by the NSTA Minimum Safety Practices and Regulations for Presenters, Workshop Leaders, Exhibitors, and Advertisers. In case you might be curious what these safety practices and regulations entail, the first item on the list states:
Parts of the body are not to be placed in danger, such as placing dry ice in the mouth, dipping hands or fingers into liquid nitrogen or molten lead, or exposing the hands and face to microorganisms. Demonstrations such as the following shall not be conducted: walking on broken glass or hot coals of fire with bare feet, passing an electric current through the body, or lying on a bed of nails and having a concrete block broken over the chest.
Luckily, none of these happen to be on my list of cookbook labs that I want participants to convert to inquiry format.
I’m very much looking forward to ChemEd2011, and your workshop. I will be presenting also (so hopefully they won’t conflict!)