Chemical Education

   CONTENTS  

The universe of teaching and learning Chemistry

The professional training of new Chemistry teachers is as important in the studies conducted by the Research Group in Chemical Education as the level of understanding of the contents by students at school. Connected to the Laboratory of Research in Chemical Education (Lapeq) and to the Graduate Program in Science and Mathematical Education, this group is chaired by Professor Maurivan Güntzel Ramos, and performs studies on teaching, research, and outreach.

As an example of innovation, training, and qualification of Chemistry teachers, the Chemical Education Debate Meetings (EDEQs) is the title of one ongoing project. Created in 1980 at PUCRS, the EDEQs occur every year at a different HEI in Rio Grande do Sul state; beginning in 1982, the EDEQs generated the National Meetings on the Teaching of Chemistry. The group is currently proposing to research how that initiative contributed to advancements in the learning, teaching, and training of Chemistry teachers in RS. The topics investigated include the programs, guest lecturers, themes, and studies presented at such meetings, and a book will be released in 2012 with CNPq support.

Scarcely explored by the scientific literature, the influence of students’ questions on the learning of Chemistry is a further field of study. This approach attributes the role of researchers to the students and seeks to understand how teachers address such questions and what the contribution of the latter is to the learning of Chemistry

One further line of research is devoted to a comparative analysis of the inquiry-based learning in schools in different countries. In this regard, the initial targets of methods, principles, and practices inquiries are Brazil, the USA, and Spain.

High school students are not interested in learning Chemistry. Is that true? To demystify a common sense perception, this group is currently collecting data in high school students and looking for causes in the schools, teachers, infrastructure, and school curriculum. This study is currently in its initial stage.