Prof. Dr. Peter Fensham - Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton, Vic 3168
Australia
E-mail: peter.fensham@education.monash.edu.au

Título da Conferência: Implications, Large and Small, from Chemical Education Research for the Teaching of Chemistry

Research studies in chemical education pose a problem for chemists. Unlike the findings from other specializations in chemistry the findings in chemical education tend to be reported in education journals that are not readily accessible to most chemists or chemistry teachers. This lecture is an attempt to remedy this gap in communication.

Research studies fall into three broad categories:

1. issues related to the content of chemistry itself, that is, what content to teach? and what meaning of each topic is to be conveyed?
2. issues related to how it is taught, that is, role of lectures, practical work, and particular pedagogies, etc, and
3. issues related to its learning, that is, learning of concepts, conceptual change, motivation, etc.

Findings in each of these categories of research over the last twenty years have drawn attention to opportunities for improving the quality of chemical education in each of the levels of formal education where chemistry is taught.

Sometimes the research finding relates to just one specific aspect of chemical content, teaching or learning, but it has, nevertheless, quite profound effects on the success of learning. For example, the use of the mole as the chemists unit is particularly problematic in introductory chemistry..

At other times, the finding has obviously wide implications because its aspect recurs regularly as the teaching of a course in chemistry proceeds. For example, lecturing in chemistry raises particular problems for learners, or teaching problem solving by demonstration have been shown to have ready means of improvement for learning.