GETTING IT RIGHT

I read somewhere that “one understand a thing by virtue of getting it right.” If I recall, the quote applied to achieving enlightenment in the spiritual sense. If one acts enlightened and convinces those around oneself of it, that’s enlightenment. Getting students to just do it is the core of teaching Chemistry. Students tell me that they feel like they are just memorizing answers to problems without really understanding how to do them. There is not much I can tell them, except that repetition is the key to understanding. Learning Chemistry and doing Chemistry requires persistence, not the inspired kind, but really grinding it out. It takes years of learning to really understand even the basic principles of Chemistry, so the intro student tends to get either frustrated or hungry for the next class. Enlightenment, in the scientific world, truly is achieved by virtue of getting it right.

Pragmatically, Chem classes are objective and as such, we are all either taskmasters or unfair teachers. Intro Chem classes are filled with people who want to go to med school and Chemistry is their least favorite subject. As such, it is important to set guidelines for exactly what is required and add up the points at the end of the semester. Consistency and clear expectations keeps students from freaking out, which clears their minds for learning.

I tried an experiment last semester, when I was teaching Orgo Recitations. The students downloaded a problem set online before coming to class. Usually the recitation TA stands at the board and does the problems. Instead I had them go to the board in pairs, solve the problem, then explain it to the class. Most students didn’t respond well to it, maybe because it is embarrassing to stand at the board. Still, the students that liked it seemed to understand that this was good use of their time. This is the ultimate just do it teaching method. The experience of doing the problem and explaining it to the class taught them how to do the problem. When the students did a problem wrong, it revealed a misconception or trap that many students would fall into. It does not matter if the problem is done right wrong, the way to learn Chemistry is to just try. If the answer is right, then yes, the student understands by virtue of getting it right.

Doing research in Chemistry takes patience and is repetitive. I wouldn’t say that you just do it, because experiments need to be thought out and there is always a ton of really simple stuff to learn each time you set up an experiment. It is difficult to figure out exactly what experiments will give you decisive information. Even the best laid plans . . . well, know what can happen. In the end, yes, you say, well I’ll just try this. The greatest scientists are those who tried the most simple and obvious experiments and they worked. The great scientist finds the universal truth in simple experiments, and seeks answers which have broad implications. They are great by virtue of getting it right. The truth was on their side. This relates back to spiritual enlightenment. When you are spiritually enlightened, you get it right because you know truth.