Thinking and Learning in Nested Systems: The Classroom Level

Abstract

Teaching and learning in college chemistry classrooms is affected by a variety of structural and psychosocial factors that influence classroom dynamics. In this second part of a two-part perspective [Talanquer et al. J. Chem. Educ. 10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c00838], we review and discuss the results from research that has helped us understand the complex social and knowledge dynamics that emerge in interactive learning environments. We use this analysis to make explicit major insights about curriculum, instruction, assessment, teachers, and students gained in the past 25 years and to summarize their implications for chemistry education.

An Educational Framework for Teaching Chemistry Using a Systems Thinking Approach

“…Educators should use these data to critically reflect on aspects of the lesson that they can modify to enhance student learning. This reflection demands paying attention not only to cognitive but also to affective issues impacting student learning and recognizing and affecting barriers acting at the individual and classroom levels. , …”

Thinking and Learning in Nested Systems: The Individual Level

“…Given the complexity of each of the levels highlighted in Figure and the multiple interactions taking place within and across levels, in this first essay, we solely review and discuss the results from research that provides insights into the complex dynamics of student thinking and learning at the individual level from a cognitive perspective. The second paper in the set provides an analysis of system dynamics at the classroom level where we consider sociocultural factors influencing teaching and learning in more explicit ways. The concepts and ideas introduced in this first contribution apply to thinking and learning in any domain, but we discuss and illustrate them in contexts related to chemistry education, highlighting their implications for curriculum development, instruction, and assessment.…”