Chemistry in the Field and Chemistry in the Classroom: A Cognitive Disconnect?

Abstract

A comparison of the central, valued activities of the field of chemistry with the curricula presented in introductory texts reveals a disconnect between what is taught in school and what the field actually encompasses. The comparison was made by utilizing a conceptual framework of the domain developed around the three main activities of chemists: explaining phenomena, analyzing matter, and synthesizing new substances. Underlying these activities is the toolbox of basic notational and quantitative schemes. The elements of the comparison were textbooks as used and Nobel Prizes in chemistry, chemistry-related articles from a newspaper, and chemistry-related articles from a science magazine. These were located within the framework. The Nobel Prizes and news articles were evenly distributed among the three main activities of chemists; the textbook objectives focus almost exclusively on explaining phenomena and the toolbox, with the exception of one text, Chemistry in the Community. This misalignment suggests that traditional introductory courses may not meet the basic goals of scientific literacy if scientific literacy is supposed to reflect the organization of a field. It is suggested that by modeling instruction on the specific activities of chemists, with the necessary tools developed as needed, teachers could help students comprehend the authentic nature of the discipline as well as help them construct meaningful links within their knowledge base.

Learning stoichiometry: a comparison of text and multimedia formats

“…During these activities they implement a collection of mathematical tools and symbols as needed. This disconnect between the practice of the classroom and in the field does little to guarantee memorable learning (Evans et al, 2006). The difficulty that most students have in developing stoichiometric competencies that can be intuited for use in the study of subsequent chemistry topics such as equilibrium and acid-base chemistry epitomizes the problem with the current mode of instruction.…”

“…In order for a learner to develop the highly interconnected knowledge framework necessary for this complex chemistry problem solving, the topic of stoichiometry must move from being simply a collection of tools to being those tools in use (Evans et al, 2006). Much of the understanding of how new information is processed into such a framework comes from research into the learning of physics, algebra, and computer programming--areas whose natures are similar to stoichiometry in that they are rich in formal mathematical procedures undergirded by an abstract conceptual base.…”

“…An analysis of the past 50 years' Nobel Prize citations, the ultimate recognition for work in chemistry, reveals that chemists explain phenomena, analyze substances, and synthesize new materials. News reports of chemical research support the prevalence of these three major endeavors (Evans, Leinhardt, Karabinos, & Yaron, 2006). In order to undertake their work, chemists employ a toolbox of qualitative and quantitative models and representations.…”

“…Although the remaining objectives can be categorized as explaining phenomena, nearly all involve the discussion of theories presented as established facts rather than as testable hypotheses, a problem that Schwab (1962) described as a rhetoric of conclusions. By not revealing the domain's exciting experimental work at the frontier of new knowledge development, these textbooks fail to reflect the authentic practice of chemistry (Evans et al, 2006). Clearly there is a disconnect between what is taught about chemistry in the classroom and how its practitioners work in the field.…”

The ChemCollective—Virtual Labs for Introductory Chemistry Courses

“…We continue to add activities and topics, including a number of scenario-based learning activities that embed chemistry concepts in real-world contexts so as to highlight the utility of chemistry to bigger problems in everyday science or the broader scientifi c enterprise (6). One such activity is Mixed Reception, which allows students to use concepts covered early in a high-school course to solve a murder that occurs in a research group whose work focuses on synthesis of an antitoxin for spider bites.…”