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A TOOL FOR INQUIRY:
Most individuals, no matter their age, see the biological world through
experienced eyes and offer explanations for the ecological relationships
they observe. These interpretations and models make sense; they are the
result of years of observing and sense making beyond the context of formal
schooling. Our students bring biological, as well as physical "private universes", to echo the elegant image from the Annenberg/Harvard-Smithsonian film, into our classes. Many of these "common sense" understandings are very resistant to change. The common sense pedagogical strategy of building models or classroom experiences that challenge naive views could serve as a starting point. Unfortunately, the fundamental concepts of chemistry are not as open to concrete modeling with spheres and flashlights as are the causes of the phases of the moon or of the seasons. "Moles", "endothermy", and "molecular speed" are abstract ideas; they will always be hidden from direct view. How can we begin to learn or teach effectively a "chemical" view of the world? How can we enable our students to break conceptual barriers as in the example from the Renaissance drawing at the left, Empedocles
Breaks through the Crystal Spheres? What tools permit our students to see the mechanisms behind chemical interactions?
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Starting with the knowledge students bring to the classroom is the essential first step. As educators we must design experiences that extend personal views to incorporate an understanding of current scientific knowledge, and to develop a common verbal and conceptual vocabulary for the discipline. What does a chemistry teacher do? Virtually no elements of natural language are common to the vocabulary of dialogue about chemical processes. "Rust", "fire", "element", "energy", and "water" all have considerable explanatory power before in instruction in chemistry begins. The world in the woodcut to the right "makes sense" already with these words. Where are the "atoms" and "molecules"? Other words like "activation energy" or "mole" have no natural language correlates. Where does chemical vocabulary and knowledge fit in students' world view? Using a model to build understanding through discourse and problem solving in chemical kinetics is the best place, we feel, to build new meanings and perhaps replace older ones. |
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Using a "microworld" like those in LOGAL's Chemical Kinetics, science teachers can now capture exciting developments made by students as they reflect the way scientists presently work. Understanding process is easier when students can explore the dynamics and nature of the changes made. Students can alter the process and predict and observe effects of their modifications. By interacting with the process, the student acquires the ability to ask relevant questions about macroscopic quantities that are the result of micro-interactions made visible by the model. Quality laboratory experience certainly supports learning, but there is another essential component if students are to develop conceptual understanding and a shared language and conceptual vocabulary adequate to explain phenomena observed. That component is extended, quality reflection, both individually and communally. Using Chemical Kinetics, teams of students investigate phenomena and define their own probes of the microworld. |
Back to the LOGAL Chemical Kinetics Tools Schedule page