"My goal in chemistry is to try to help students learn the ability to think the way chemists think," says Bodner (see Close-Up on page 8). "Most of what I teach consists of styles of problems: How do you recognize what a problem is? How do you know where to start and when you have solved it successfully?
"The facts of science are no more intrinsically interesting than the dates in history. The excitement comes in understanding what you can discover, and why it is important."
Bodner's approach reflects a trend at United States colleges and universities in teaching first-year science. Scientists and students alike say they are fed up with professors and textbooks that expect students to accumulate facts and passively accept hoary opinions. In their place are alternatives similar to Bodner's.
The approaches carry many names--hands-on science, experiential science, and constructing science through cooperative learning. But they all ...
