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A pHorseshoe
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Abstract
Students often find pH calculations boring and irrelevant, and many memorize calculation schemes without understanding. It has been suggested that such topics should be dropped from the first-year chemistry course. I have found an approach that involves memorization but enables students of average ability to achieve understanding through its use and subsequent development of the topic. Providing students with a memorization scheme at the outset eliminates initial frustration and discouragement and leads to better understanding by the time the unit has been developed. Understanding is developed after the students have successfully calculated conversions between pH and hydrogen ion concentration. In this article the pHorseshoe is described not only for the purpose of sharing with other teachers who might find it useful but also to explain why, in this case at least, memorization is the servant of understanding and not a substitute for it.
Keywords (Audience):
High School / Introductory ChemistryKeywords (Feature):
View from My ClassroomKeywords (Pedagogy):
Mnemonics / Rote LearningKeywords (Subject):
Acids / BasesTools
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- Received: August 03, 2009
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