The Chemistry of Cat Litter: Activities for High School Students To Evaluate a Commercial Product’s Properties and Claims Using the Tools of Chemistry

Celestino, Teresa; Marchetti, Fábio

doi:10.1021/ed500505j

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The didactic sequence is structured in three sections (Sections 1-4), each corresponding to one of the questions above; each section is organized into three phases, according to a work scheme already tested with two other case studies [21,22]. Contents involved, phases and activities are specified in Tables 1 and 2 and described in detail in the file attached; this file (named "S1") contains all the students' worksheets needed, in reference to the different sections and phases mentioned above.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Like a Stone in a Pond: Chemistry as a Trigger Point for an Ever-Increasing Concentric Knowledge towards Global Citizenship and Sustainability Education

Celestino,

Gentili

2024

Preprint

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The principal function of science education is to introduce students to core scientific concepts and practices; nevertheless, it is now impossible, in such a complex world, to neglect the ethical issues involved. Placing school science in a broader context motivates students and equips them with valuable critical skills. A meaningful example was from palm oil production and pervasive use worldwide: plantations result in major deforestation occurring in species-rich tropical regions, making the palm oil issue global in scope and highly critical for several aspects related to sustainability. This paper reports a sequence of didactic activities starting from palm oil chemistry, gradually extended initially by a multidisciplinary approach, then by interdisciplinary-systemic maps and, ultimately, through a holistic vision - involving anthropological and cultural considerations about indigenous people of deforested territories. This progressive broadening corresponds to an ever-greater penetration into the personal sphere, a condition for a real ethical consciousness. The increased students’ awareness was tested by qualitative considerations, supporting the teaching dimension more than the learning one. Contrary to disciplinary contents, the emergence of moral feelings cannot be measured but only perceived. Therefore, chemistry provides key concepts essential for global competences development in order to deal with sustainability issues with an increased ethical awareness.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Like a Stone in a Pond: Chemistry as a Trigger Point for an Ever-Increasing Concentric Knowledge towards Global Citizenship and Sustainability Education

Celestino,

Gentili

2024

Preprint

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“…An example concerns cat litter choice: synthetic silica gel cat litter is harmless compared to clay litter, wrongly considered "ecological"; indeed, clay litter is commonly produced in an environmentally degrading process using strip mining, which removes the surface layer of the soil, undermining its fertility almost irreversibly [44].…”

Section: Operational Goalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

High School Sustainable and Green Chemistry: Historical–Epistemological and Pedagogical Considerations

Celestino

2023

Sustainable Chemistry

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In this paper, a distinction is first made between environmental, sustainable, and green chemistry; the last two are then examined in relation to the more general problem of environmental education. A brief historical digression on the Science, Technology, and Society movement attempts to dissect reasons why chemistry is seen by the general public as a problem, not as a decisive resource for the realization of the ecological transition. Although sustainable and green chemistry can be decisive in overcoming the insularity of chemical disciplines in high school, it is not well-embedded in educational practices. This situation is slowly changing thanks to the implementations of systems thinking in teaching practice, showing interconnections between the molecular world and sustainability. Historical and epistemological studies provide an all-encompassing framework for the relationship between chemistry and the environment in a broad sense, giving a solid foundation for educational projects. Specific operational goals can help chemical educators in supporting real learning, as well as an examination of the fundamental axes of sustainable and green chemistry, according to the criteria of Scientific and Technological Literacy. Finally, the results of some research carried out in secondary school are presented. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the interdisciplinary-systemic approach in teaching chemistry as well as in guiding future green careers and reducing the gender gap, preparing high school students in the best possible way to face the challenges of an increasingly interconnected and complex world.

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“…Artificial sand is then tested solubility by inserting sand into water, acid solution, or alcohol such as ethanol and then stirred for 15 minutes then ignored. In addition, the sand also tested the metal components through flame test (Celestino and Marchetti, 2015).…”

Section: ) Making Eco-friendly Colorpaintmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vaksin Strategy as Enjoyment Chemical Approach for Senior High School Students

Dinira

2018

indonesian.j.of.science.and.education

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Desire to apply knowledge gained in school is the characteristic of high school students. These characteristic actually has been accommodated into 2013 curriculum. However, low interest of high school students to study chemistry was still found. Various learning methods have been developed to improve learning interest in the classroom. The effort to increase students' interest in chemistry can also be done outside the classroom. In this paper will be presented a theoretical study of joyful learning real world chemistry through VAKSIN strategy during school break. The strategy will be given in two ways, through science camps or excursion. Materials to be provided during the science camp are making green chemistry paint, exploration of cat litters, and simulations of waste water purification. Excursion can go into two places, the industry or university. VAKSIN strategy will have positive impact on students, teachers, industries, and universities. Keywords: high school students, joyful learning, real world chemistry, VAKSIN strategy

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The Chemistry of Cat Litter: Activities for High School Students To Evaluate a Commercial Product’s Properties and Claims Using the Tools of Chemistry

Cited by 6 publications

References 2 publications

Like a Stone in a Pond: Chemistry as a Trigger Point for an Ever-Increasing Concentric Knowledge towards Global Citizenship and Sustainability Education

Like a Stone in a Pond: Chemistry as a Trigger Point for an Ever-Increasing Concentric Knowledge towards Global Citizenship and Sustainability Education

High School Sustainable and Green Chemistry: Historical–Epistemological and Pedagogical Considerations

Vaksin Strategy as Enjoyment Chemical Approach for Senior High School Students

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