Macro–Micro Thinking with Structure–Property Relations: Integrating ‘Meso-levels’ in Secondary Education

Meijer, Marijn R.; Bulte, Astrid M. W.; Pilot, Albert

doi:10.1007/978-94-007-5914-5_20

Cited by 21 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Diffusion is a particularly challenging phenomenon to understand, as the micro‐level behaviors (random motion in all directions) seems to conflict with macro‐level phenomena (an overall movement of matter from higher to lower concentrations) (Layzer, ; Meijer, Bulte, & Pilot, ). The concept of diffusion has been studied in different contexts and as part of the teaching of various scientific disciplines (chemistry, physics, biology, and geography).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions between reasoning about complex systems and conceptual understanding in learning chemistry

Samon

Levy

2019

J Res Sci Teach

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Complex systems" is a general-purpose reasoning scheme, used in a wide range of disciplines to make sense of systems with many similar entities. In this paper, we examine the generality of this approach in learning chemistry. Students' reasoning in chemistry in terms of emergent complex systems is explored for two curricula: a normative and a complexity-based one, so that the interaction could be examined under both the conditions. A quasi-experimental pretest-intervention-posttest comparison group design was used to explore student's learning, complemented with interview data. The experimental group (n = 47) studied the topic of gases with a complexity-based curriculum. A comparison group (n = 45) studied with a normative curriculum for the same duration. Students' answers to questionnaires were coded with a complexity-based approach that included levels (distinguishing micro-and macro-levels), stochastic particle behaviors, the emergence of macro-level patterns from micro-level behaviors, and the source of control in the system. It was found that students' reasoning about chemistry concepts in terms of complex systems falls into three distinct and coherent mental models. A sophisticated mental model included most of the above-described complexity features, while the nonsophisticated model included none.The intermediate model is typified by distinguishing between levels, but not by stochastic and emergent

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions between reasoning about complex systems and conceptual understanding in learning chemistry

Samon

Levy

2019

J Res Sci Teach

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“…In chemistry, we often may encounter phrasing such as "structure property" or "structure-property-function" (for example, Kohn et al 2018). Additionally, these concepts are often linked with the idea of emergent properties (Cooper et al 2012a, b;Kohn et al 2018;Lira and Gardner 2017;Meijer et al 2013;Meredith et al 2006;). However, this can also add complexity through interactions at multiple levels of organization (for example, scale) (Lira and Gardner 2017;Yoho et al in press).…”

Section: Obstacles To Student Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interdisciplinary insights from instructor interviews reconciling “structure and function” in biology, biochemistry, and chemistry through the context of enzyme binding

Yoho

Foster

Urban‐Lurain

et al. 2019

Discip Interdscip Sci Educ Res

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Structure and function is an essential crosscutting concept in undergraduate STEM education and appears in numerous disciplines and contexts from the introductory to advanced levels. This concept is exemplified by enzyme binding, a topic spanning biology, biochemistry, and chemistry. We interviewed 13 instructors with primary instructional appointments in these fields, focusing on how they think about and also teach structure and function in their courses. We focused on how they define the component terms, "structure" and "function," their personal learning development, and how they view the interactions among these three disciplines. Overall, we found that context and terminology appear to be key factors in these conversations, as well as in the classroom. These instructors, in reflecting on their own educational development, do not consider that they developed their understanding in an undergraduate classroom. Instead, they focused on research experiences, graduate studies, postdoctoral work, or even, teaching appointments as essential points for their own knowledge. These instructors held strong opinions about interactions among the disciplines, both from the perspectives of cross-talk and what their students experience. These opinions generally center on individual instructors' opinions of other disciplines, apparent inclination to collaborate on teaching across disciplinary lines, and general preconceptions of other fields. Overall, this work has implications on the path forward for undergraduate teaching and learning of structure and function.

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“…For example, wood is a material. It consists of several substances in different specific arrangements at various meso-levels to make the material (Meijer, Bulte, & Pilot, 2013).…”

Section: Relevance Of Chemistry As a Disciplinementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This necessitates reading food labels, which motivates a need to understand what are the components that are present in a certain product. Engagement of students in these kinds of practices makes students explore language used by chemists to describe matter (Meijer, Bulte, & Pilot, 2013). Chemical language can still be related to the macroscopic level.…”

Section: Evaluating Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If not, this leads to adaptation of the causal relations (PV4 and PV6 in Table 1). Matter has specific characteristic properties due to the arrangement of its specific building blocks (Meijer et al, 2013). In this way, the conceptual designing activity could seed thinking to prepare students to consider future activities.…”

Section: Conceptual Designing (Synthesis)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Learning Chemistry to Enrich Students’ Views on the World they Live In

Sevian

Bulte

2015

Relevant Chemistry Education

Self Cite

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Practicing chemistry involves using chemical knowledge to evaluate benefits, costs and risks associated with products and processes, and to make informed decisions based on reasoned evaluation. Traditional topical approaches to teaching chemistry have been demonstrated to be unsuccessful in providing students such opportunities. Context-based approaches address this; however, to establish stronger effectiveness, a theoretical underpinning is necessary. Starting from Roberts' curriculum emphasis concept, we argue that if students are to develop useful chemical knowledge, they need a clear view on how the chemistry they learn is related to their lives and the world they live in. In other words, the learning environment needs to be positioned in a clearly defined curriculum emphasis. This determines deliberate focus on enriching students' engagement with chemical thinking in real-world problems. Curriculum emphasis can be related to division of labor for different chemical practices, such as a technologist developing new materials for biomedical purposes, a citizen deciding what kind of fuel to use, or a scientist investigating mechanisms of catalysts. Each practice has specific relevance and, consequently, different foci in the content of chemistry. When a certain emphasis or sequence of emphases is chosen for a particular stage in students' learning, a thoughtful co-development of instructional approaches and assessment of students' progress toward using chemical knowledge is required. We provide exemplars of units positioned within a certain emphasis, and show how the curriculum emphasis model shapes curriculum development, as well as development of assessment within the chosen emphasis.

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Macro–Micro Thinking with Structure–Property Relations: Integrating ‘Meso-levels’ in Secondary Education

Cited by 21 publications

References 29 publications

Interactions between reasoning about complex systems and conceptual understanding in learning chemistry

Interactions between reasoning about complex systems and conceptual understanding in learning chemistry

Interdisciplinary insights from instructor interviews reconciling “structure and function” in biology, biochemistry, and chemistry through the context of enzyme binding

Learning Chemistry to Enrich Students’ Views on the World they Live In

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