| |
In Dr. Rayner-Canham 's view,
the classroom experience is a key part of the learning
process, in particular the interaction that is possible in
the small class setting. He has developed video clips and
other a/v materials that brings chemistry to life. He has
also devised problem-solving methodologies to enable
students to plan their route to solving calculations. It is
from the questions asked by students in class that he has
developed many of his teaching innovations. For each of the
courses he teaches, he endeavours to bring his own insights
to the material. He has had a particular interest in the
unique teaching environment of small colleges.
Selected Relevant Publications
G. Rayner-Canham, “Teaching and Research at Small Colleges:
A Chemistry Perspective,” C3 News, 26, 5-6
(Fall 2001).
G. Rayner-Canham, “Some Ruminations on Chemical Education,”
Chem13 News, 26-27 (October 1999).
G.W. Rayner-Canham and M.F. Rayner-Canham, “Chemistry
Teaching in US Liberal Arts Colleges,” Education in
Chemistry, 25, 148-150 (1988).
G.W. Rayner-Canham, “The Liberal Arts College and Its
Potential Role in Canadian Chemical Education,” Canadian
Chemical News, 39(8), 9-12 (1987).
ELEMENTS OF CHEMISTRY (CHEM 1810)
Dr. Rayner-Canham has had a particular interest in those
students, many very talented, who arrive at University
without any preparation in chemistry. To provide the basic
knowledge of the fundamentals of chemistry, the Chemistry
1810 course is offered. Students have found this thorough
grounding in the basics of chemistry enabled them to
successfully pursue careers in science, some even obtaining
degrees in chemistry or environmental chemistry. He was the
senior author of Foundations of Chemistry which was
originally used for the course, and also of its successor,
Chemistry: A First Course.
In the early years of the
College, Dr. Rayner-Canham devised a four-week summer
immersion version of chemistry 1810 which enabled students
who had no previous chemistry to complete this course and
then enter General Chemistry I in a Fall semester. The photo
below a Sunday outing of the Summer Chemistry Institute
students to Western Brook Pond with student volunteers
helping Mr. Bill Layden (chemistry laboratory technician)
and Ms. Marelene Rayner-Canham prepare the picnic lunch.
Selected Relevant
Publications
G.W. Rayner-Canham, “Chemistry for Beginners - A Summer
Immersion Course,” invited entry in Directory of Teaching
Innovations in Chemistry, L.R. Meeth and D.S. Gregory
(eds.), American Chemical Society, 1986, p. 97.
G. Rayner-Canham, “A Summer Immersion Course in Chemistry,”
Journal of Chemical Education, 56, 86 (1979).
GENERAL CHEMISTRY I & II (CHEM 1200 & 1001)
For these courses, Dr. Rayner-Canham has produced
Problems & Solutions workbooks which enable students to
practice the calculations as each topic is covered in class.
He is particularly
concerned that problem-solving is grasped in a logical
manner and he has devised a technique he calls “Strategies &
Relationships.” He is also concerned that practical
applications of the theories and concepts are discussed in
class. As part of his interests in the laboratory side of
the courses, he has devised microscale methods of performing
several of the practical experiments.
Selected Relevant Publications
G.W. Rayner-Canham, “A Student‘s Travels, Close Dancing,
Bathtubs, and the Shopping Mall: More Analogies in Teaching
Introductory Chemistry,” Journal of Chemical Education,
71, 943-944 (1994).
G.W. Rayner-Canham, “Microscale methods in general
chemistry,” Education in Chemistry, 31, 68-70
(1994).
G.W. Rayner-Canham, “The Bonding in Molecular Oxygen: Laying
the Foundations of Modern Chemical Thought,” Journal of
College Science Teaching, 23(6), 377-379 (1994).
G.W. Rayner-Canham, “Concepts of Acids & Bases: Laying the
Foundations of Modern Chemical Thought,” Journal of
College Science Teaching, 23(4), 246-247 (1994).
G.W. Rayner-Canham, “The Conductivity of Solutions: Laying
the Foundations of Modern Chemical Thought,” Journal of
College Science Teaching, 23(1), 62-64 (1993).
P.W. Slade and G.W. Rayner-Canham, “The Pitfalls of
Precipitation Reactions,” Journal of Chemical Education,
67, 316-317 (1990).
INTRODUCTORY INORGANIC CHEMISTRY (CHEM 2210)
A major concern of Dr. Rayner-Canham is that chemistry is
seen in context and that theory is a means of explaining
observation. His interest in this second-year introductory
course led to him writing a text for the course,
Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry, a text which has been
adopted widely through North America and even in
universities around the world (see discussion under
Inorganic Chemistry). As part of the course, students are
required to write an essay on a topic in inorganic chemistry
and, following revision by Dr. Rayner-Canham, several of the
essays have been published in reviewed journals.
Selected Relevant
Publications
G.W. Rayner-Canham and J. Grandy, “Was Molybdenum a Limiting
Reagent in Earth's Biological Evolution,” Education in Chemistry, 48,
144-147 (2011).
G.W. Rayner-Canham and C. Flynn, “Iron Ocean Seeding,” Education in Chemistry,
47,
140-143 (2010).
G.W. Rayner-Canham and T. Way, “Burning Ice in the Arctic,” Education in Chemistry, 46,
82-84 (2003).
G.W. Rayner-Canham and B. Hunt, “Chromium, Toxic or
Essential? Using the Erin Brockovich Saga in Chemistry
Teaching,” Chem13 News, 1, 4-5 (January 2007).
G.W. Rayner-Canham and S. Avery, “Thallium: a Poisoner’s
Favourite,” Education in Chemistry, 40,
132-133 (2003).
G.W. Rayner-Canham and J. Kettle, “The True Allotropes of
Sulphur,” Education in Chemistry, 28, 49-51
(1991).
M.J. Webb and G.W. Rayner-Canham, “Descriptive Inorganic
Chemistry at the Second Year Level,” Journal of Chemical
Education, 59, 1012-1013 (1982).
G.W. Rayner-Canham, “Introducing Bioinorganic Chemistry into
an Inorganic Chemistry Course,” Journal of College
Science Teaching, 4, 208-209 (1975).
INTRODUCTORY PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY (CHEM 2300)
This largely calculation-based course is primarily focussed
on chemical thermodynamics. For this reason, Dr.
Rayner-Canham has written a Problems & Solutions
Manual to accompany the course. He was also able to obtain a
series of grants to transform the laboratory portion of the
course to be computer interfaced, enabling students to
collect their data with state-of-the-art equipment and,
where necessary, to produce differential plots using the
supplied graphing software.
Selected Relevant
Publication
G. Rayner-Canham, W. Ellsworth, D. Strickland, and D.
Wheeler, “A Computer-Interfaced Physical Chemistry
Laboratory: Some Personal Experiences,” Canadian Chemical
News, 52(3), 16-17 (2000).
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY (ENVS 3261)
This unique course was designed by Dr. Rayner-Canham to give
students a deep and thorough understanding of the
multitudinous atmospheric chemical processes using
principles of thermodynamics, kinetics, equilibria,
molecular orbitals, spectroscopy, etc. Analogously to the
inorganic chemistry course, students are required to write
an essay on a topic in atmospheric chemistry and, following
revision by Dr. Rayner-Canham, several of the essays have
been published in reviewed journals.
Selected Relevant
Publications
G. W. Rayner-Canham, D. Garnier, and R. Stirling, “Isoprene:
the ‘Natural Pollutant’,” Education in Chemistry, 41,
101-103 (2004).
G.W. Rayner-Canham, “Ocean Burial of Carbon Dioxide – Is It
an Option?,” Education in Chemistry, 39,
155-159 (2002).
G. Rayner-Canham and S. Huelin, “Atmospheric Chemistry: The
Structure of the Cl2O2 Molecule” Chem13 News, 6-7
(Sept 2000).
G.W. Rayner-Canham and A. Hewlin, “Sulphur Hexafluoride: A
Little-Known Greenhouse Gas,” Education in Chemistry,
37, 69-70, 81 (2000).
WOMEN AND SCIENCE (WSTD 2001)
This highly-popular course has enabled Dr. Rayner-Canham to
combine his teaching endeavours with his research interests
in the history of women in science. This half-historical,
half-contemporary issues. Since first offering the course in
the Winter of 1994, he has endeavoured to incorporate videos
and video clips that bring the material to life.
Selected Relevant
Publication
M. F. Rayner-Canham and G.W. Rayner-Canham, “The Einstein
Enigma: The Role of Mileva Marić” Chem13 News, 10-11,
(January 2006).
M.F. Rayner-Canham and G.W. Rayner-Canham, “Talented
Flowers: Women in Chemistry-A Century of Progress?”
Canadian Chemical News, 2005, 57(9), 22-25.
GRANTS RECEIVED FOR WORK
IN CHEMICAL EDUCATION
| 2008 |
Instructional Development Grant, Memorial University
(G. Rayner-Canham [chemistry] lead applicant, joint
with C. King [classics], M. Newton [religious
studies], and D. Wheeler [chemistry]) |
$5,000 |
| 2005 |
W.H.
Freeman Publishers grant for the development of
chemistry videos U.S. |
$6,000 |
| 1999 |
Birks
Family Foundation, grant for development of
computer-interfaced experiments for SWGC physical
chemistry course |
$20,000 |
| 1999 |
S.M.
Blair Family Foundation, grant for development of
computer-interfaced experiments for SWGC physical
chemistry course |
$10,000 |
| 1999 |
George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation, grant
for development of computer-interfaced experiments
for SWGC physical chemistry course |
$10,000 |
| 1999 |
Chemical Education Trust Fund, Chemical Institute of
Canada, starter grant for development of
computer-interfaced experiments for SWGC physical
chemistry course |
$1,990 |
| 1992 |
Grant
from SSHRC travel fund for travel to 12th.
International Conference on Chemical Education,
Bangkok |
$1,200 |
| 1988 |
Principal‘s Research grant for studies in the
teaching of chemistry at small U.S. colleges |
$450 |
| 1988 |
Educational grant from the McLean Foundation for
computer assisted learning project |
$2,830 |
| 1988 |
Educational grant from the Windsor Foundation for
computer assisted learning project |
$2,830 |
| 1983 |
Vice-President’s Research grant for computer
assisted learning project |
$470 |
| 1983 |
Educational grant from the F.K. Morrow Foundation
for computer assisted learning project |
$2,000 |
|
