Sketching the Invisible to Predict the Visible: From Drawing to Modeling in Chemistry

Abstract

Sketching as a scientific practice goes beyond the simple act of inscribing diagrams onto paper. Scientists produce a wide range of representations through sketching, as it is tightly coupled to model-based reasoning. Chemists in particular make extensive use of sketches to reason about chemical phenomena and to communicate their ideas. However, the chemical sciences have a unique problem in that chemists deal with the unseen world of the atomic-molecular level. Using sketches, chemists strive to develop causal mechanisms that emerge from the structure and behavior of molecular-level entities, to explain observations of the macroscopic visible world. Interpreting these representations and constructing sketches of molecular-level processes is a crucial component of student learning in the modern chemistry classroom. Sketches also serve as an important component of assessment in the chemistry classroom as student sketches give insight into developing mental models, which allows instructors to observe how students are thinking about a process. In this paper we discuss how sketching can be used to promote such model-based reasoning in chemistry and discuss two case studies of curricular projects, CLUE and The Connected Chemistry Curriculum, that have demonstrated a benefit of this approach. We show how sketching activities can be centrally integrated into classroom norms to promote model-based reasoning both with and without component visualizations. Importantly, each of these projects deploys sketching in support of other types of inquiry activities, such as making predictions or depicting models to support a claim; sketching is not an isolated activity but is used as a tool to support model-based reasoning in the discipline.

Representational challenges in animated chemistry: self-generated animations as a means to encourage students’ reflections on sub-micro processes in laboratory exercises

“…In chemistry, several studies have shown that generating drawings of chemical processes at the sub-microscopic level can help students to interpret visualisations, make connections with prior knowledge, and promote understanding and modelbased reasoning (i.e., Ainsworth et al, 2011;Linn, 2011, 2013;Prain and Tytler, 2012;Akaygun and Jones, 2014;Cooper et al, 2017). Regarding physical models, Nicoll (2003) reported successful results using play-doh rather than traditional ball-and-stick kits to model molecules, and suggests that model-kits limit students in showing aspects like bond length or lone pairs.…”

Learning by Drawing Visual Representations: Potential, Purposes, and Practical Implications

“…For example, to explain the boiling point of water, students can be taught to draw the molecular structure of water and coordinate that with their understanding of energy transfer as sketched in a graph. In addition, drawing to support learning from simulations can be a constructive activity if students are asked to predict what they expect to see or to repeatedly revise the drawings they made as a consequence of interacting with a simulation (Cooper et al, 2017).…”

Making science come alive : Student-generated stop-motion animations in science education

“…In chemistry, several studies have shown that generating drawings of chemical processes at the sub-microscopic level can help students to interpret visualisations, make connections with prior knowledge, and promote understanding and model-based reasoning (Ainsworth et al, 2011;Akaygun & Jones, 2014;M. M. Cooper, Stieff, & DeSutter, 2017;Zhang & Linn, 2011).…”

“…M. Cooper, Stieff, & DeSutter, 2017;Zhang & Linn, 2011). It can be argued that chemistry learners are already required to generate representations of chemistry concepts, but according to (M. M. Cooper et al, 2017) this is more for copying and memorising canonical representations than for promoting students' model-based reasoning. They showed that if sketching is centrally integrated into classroom practice (rather than introduced as a separate, isolated activity), it can support model-based reasoning.…”