Do Your Students Memorize the Periodic Table?

Every truth has four corners: as a teacher I give you one corner, and it is for you to find the other three.

- Confucius -

Frequently, when I mention the fact that I teach chemistry, the first question in response is, "Do you still have them memorize the periodic table?"  This of course is followed by an explanation of how they remember having to memorize all of the elements, the names, the symbols and of course the masses, and how they can no longer remember any of it.

My first inclination is to break into a tirade about my theory of teaching, the Three C's and building a culture of learning.  And, how I do not believe memorization is learning.  How if you memorize something, this does not mean you know what it is or how to utilize it. I would continue that I do not sit down and memorize the recipies in order to cook a meal.  But if I cook the meal well enough a number of times the recipie becomes a part of my knowledge base.  And, that the more times I cook the meal, the less often I need to refer to the recipie.

That is why I give all of my students a periodic table that I have created. I gathered ideas from the other chemistry teachers I work with as well as using information found on the various periodic tables available online and through science distributors like Fisher and Flinn and of courseI looked at a variety of periodic tables in textbooks.  From all of this I designed a periodic table that is a tool that can be used by the students to successfully navigate their year of chemistry.

I allow my students to use their periodic table during all of their work throughout the year, including in class work, quizzes, tests, homework, online assignments, the entire workload for the year.  Invaribly if the students use a this tool enough, the information on the periodic table will become part of their knowledge base and eventually they will use the most repetitive information without referring to the table as the year progresses. Of course, the elements that are used most often like oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen sodium and chlorine, are the elements that become part of the students knowledge base.  How often, really, do we use Praseodynium [59 Pr - 140.91amu] or Erbium [ 68 Er - 167.26amu] or in the course of our lives?

Therefore, my answer is a resounding NO!!!! I do not have my students memorize the periodic table.  I do however, expect them to master the use of the periodic table as a problem solving tool throughout their year in chemistry and beyond.

Quizlet - Great Online Tool

Although I am an advocate of project based learning and utilizing education that serves the multiple intelligences, there are some basic skills, ideas and concepts where learning comes down to rote memorization.

I use a very practical,useful and intutitive site online to provide flashcards to assist students with that material which must simply be learned through memory and rote skills.

Quizlet (http://quizlet.com/) is a wonderful site for educators and students to create and use flash cards to provide learning and study opportunites for vocabulary and definitions, formulas, terms, elements and symbols, etc... etc...

Educators and students alike can create their own databank of flashcards for any content area. Sets of flashcards can be assigned to specific classes or students or they can be made public for anyone registered with Quizlet's use.  For most content and subject areas there are vast amounts of pre-made flashcard sets produced by both students and teachers available for public use.

Quizlet provides opportunities for students to learn, review and practice at their own pace, through a variety of options built in to the Quizlet program.   Students can work through the flashcards one side at a time or both sides simultaneously.  Once students feel comfortable with the material they can check their understanding through a learning tool where they must complete the information from the opposite side of the card that they are being shown.  Students can also test themselves with a Quizlet generated test based upon the information in the flashcard set.

Students can also learn and practice through two games, scatter and space race.  Scatter provides both sides of the flash cards randomly placed on the computer screen.  Students must move the partners together to make them disappear. My students enjoy scatter on the SMART Board where they can compete with each other for the best time to remove all the terms.  The space race game is completed by typing in the correct answers before the clue slides off the screen.

Quizlet, provides great options for both students and teachers to tap into those concepts that must simply  be processed through repetition and rote memory.