Misconceiving chemistry: the mismatch between chemical concepts and student thinking
Issue 335 | Page 87 | Published Dec 2009
Description
Many learners seem to find chemistry a very difficult subject and it is common for them to form misconceptions. This is not so surprising in view of the diverse range of abstract theoretical models taught in chemistry classes. Research into learners' chemical thinking offers insights that can help teachers think about how best to present chemical concepts. Students hope that chemistry will be exciting but the complexity of trying to understand explanations, and the frequent revision of those explanations, can be confusing and disheartening. This can compromise understanding and motivation to progress to further study and chemistry-related employment
More from this issue
Recent changes in the science curriculum are described, as are attempts to make chemistry more interesting and relevant to future citizens as well...
In July 2008, the Royal Society of Chemistry launched Discover Chemistry, a chemistry education partnership with Pfizer UK, to help secure a pool...
Traditional teacher-marked homeworks do not always provide sufficient width or depth of engagement with chemistry and marking is a very hungry...