The difficulties of learning science are related to the nature of science itself and to the methods by which science is customarily taught without regard to what is known about children's learning. An information processing model is proposed to guide thinking and research in this area.
The subject of chemistry has many problems arising out of its conceptual structure that may be at odds with what we know about cognition. The author takes a historical look at this problem.
Large curricular changes of the 1960s brought about
by the ChemStudy and Chemical Bond Approach initiatives were generally
successful, but they also created learning problems. These were well
recognized by a series of surveys in 1971. Recent surveys (2008) show
that the same chemical difficulties for learners are still present
in most “modern” curricula at all levels. This is despite
the efforts of many international research projects designed to improve
the learning of chemistry. The common factor in all these problem
areas for chemistry students is information overload. The effect of
having these problematic topics in the curriculum is to drive students
away from chemistry. We have come to accept that these topics are
fundamental to learning chemistry, but are they so essential? Are
we blindly teaching them because they have “always been taught”?
This paper suggests a bold approach, which questions the inclusion
of these problematic topics and suggests models by which a pragmatic
revision can take place without dilution or trivialization of chemistry
as a discipline. Urgent joint action by the ACS, the Royal Society
of Chemistry, and other international chemical societies is recommended.
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