{"id":1454,"date":"2018-10-08T20:55:58","date_gmt":"2018-10-09T00:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/?p=1454"},"modified":"2018-10-08T20:55:58","modified_gmt":"2018-10-09T00:55:58","slug":"complexity-in-thinking-constructivism-within-chemistry-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2018\/10\/complexity-in-thinking-constructivism-within-chemistry-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Complexity in Thinking: Constructivism within Chemistry Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>Diving into Chemistry Education Research (CER)<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.opastonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Journal-of-Chemistry-Education-Research-and-Practice-1.jpg?resize=566%2C62\" alt=\"Image result for journal of chemistry education research and practice\" width=\"566\" height=\"62\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Research within chemistry education is incredibly important to the progression of teaching methods within the subject. Chemistry is a very complex topic; almost as complex as the students eager to learn it! Topics within chemistry build on one another, which allows for the development of possible misconceptions. With this in mind, it is crucial to find the source of these misconceptions.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1456 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/files\/2018\/10\/download-3.jpg?resize=194%2C259\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"259\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Fun fact: this is literally what I research!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dr. Stacey Lowery Bretz<\/strong>, my research advisor, published a paper along side of <strong>Dr. Cynthia J. Luxford<\/strong> in the Journal of Chemistry Education Research and Practice. <em>Moving beyond definitions: what student-generated models reveal about their understanding of covalent bonding and ionic bonding\u00a0<\/em>provides great insight on how <strong>constructivism<\/strong> takes place within chemistry learning.<\/p>\n<p>Hold up: what does constructivism have to do with CER?<\/p>\n<p>First, let&#8217;s define constructivism.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Constructivism: What is It, and how does it relate to CER?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KYezierski\/status\/1049443806901362691\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/KYezierski\/status\/1049443806901362691<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Constructivism in education is defined as, &#8220;a paradigm or worldview posits that learning is an active, constructive process. The learner is an information constructor. People actively construct or create their own subjective representations of objective reality. New information is linked to to prior knowledge, thus mental representations are subjective&#8221; (learningtheories.com).<\/p>\n<p>Constructivism takes part in the:<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1458 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/files\/2018\/10\/images-2.png?resize=222%2C181\" alt=\"\" width=\"222\" height=\"181\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Progressive learning within a subject<\/li>\n<li>Personal organization of topics within a subject<\/li>\n<li>Development of preferred learning styles<\/li>\n<li>Expansion of the extent to which a subject is fully understood<\/li>\n<li>Development of possible misconceptions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The basis of lots of chemistry education research is the development of misconceptions. From the definition above, it can be concluded that constructivism within students allows for the development of ideas that might not be aligned with what has been taught.<\/p>\n<p>Remember: students&#8217; brains are more independent than teachers might like to think!<\/p>\n<h2><strong>An Overview of Bretz &amp; Luxford 2013<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The research conducted by Dr. Stacey Lowery Bretz and Dr. Cynthia J. Luxford focused mainly on:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Students&#8217; understanding of the concepts behind ionic and covalent bonding<\/li>\n<li>Students&#8217; ability to use physical bonding representations accurately<\/li>\n<li>Students&#8217; ability to connect definitions with concepts<\/li>\n<li>Students&#8217; ability to transfer knowledge of concepts to physical representations<\/li>\n<li>Student based misconceptions within chemical bonding<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1462 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/files\/2018\/10\/download-4.jpg?resize=242%2C197\" alt=\"\" width=\"242\" height=\"197\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1463\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/files\/2018\/10\/images-3.jpg?resize=299%2C199\" alt=\"\" width=\"299\" height=\"199\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Students were asked to build models representing what they knew about ionic and covalent bonding. Several students were\u00a0<strong>unable to provide correct definitions,\u00a0<\/strong>and therefore were\u00a0<strong>unable to provide correct or accurate bonding models.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is expected, right? Well, the biggest finding is a bit more surprising.\u00a0Most students were able to\u00a0<strong>provide mostly correct definitions,<\/strong>\u00a0but were\u00a0<strong>unable to provide correct or accurate physical bonding models.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Tying Bretz &amp; Luxford 2013 to Constructivism<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1464 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/files\/2018\/10\/download-1-2.jpg?resize=279%2C192\" alt=\"\" width=\"279\" height=\"192\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Students build on their past knowledge in chemistry. This is a key portion of constructivism. Any slight misunderstanding within chemical bonding will lead to further misunderstandings and misconceptions, which was confirmed by the findings of Bretz &amp; Luxford.<\/p>\n<p>Students make connections about the things they have imbedded within their minds in completely different ways. Connections from definition to representation may be different for every student, as was seen within the results.<\/p>\n<p>It is possible that the students who had participated in the study merely\u00a0<em>memorized<\/em> those definitions, but didn&#8217;t understand the actual concepts behind them. Depth of knowledge is also a key portion of constructivism.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Imbedding CER and Constructivism within the Chemistry Classroom<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Within the classroom, constructivist learning allows for students to\u00a0<em>experience<\/em> the topics. These experiences are the most concrete form of learning.<\/p>\n<p>This video provides more insight on experiences within constructivist learning.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Constructivism - An example\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/a0jVaXkheoQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In my chemistry classroom, I want to use\u00a0<em>experiences\u00a0<\/em>to create the base knowledge of a topic for students. This method will provide the <strong>best outcome of accurate learning<\/strong>. That way, they can <strong>build on those experiences<\/strong> and keep their depth of knowledge broad, yet organized.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1468 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/files\/2018\/10\/download-2-4.jpg?resize=371%2C218\" alt=\"\" width=\"371\" height=\"218\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Example lessons and experiences:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1467 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/files\/2018\/10\/images-1-3.jpg?resize=275%2C183\" alt=\"\" width=\"275\" height=\"183\" \/>Begin the lesson on chemical bonding with physical models. This allows for students to play with models, and discover what each piece of the model means. They could use different mediums, such as play-doh and toothpicks, plastic model kits, or even magnets. Being able to physical represent and manipulate their developing ideas would be incredibly beneficial.<\/li>\n<li>Allow for students to create their own definitions of covalent and ionic bonds using the accurate models provided to them.<\/li>\n<li>Create a lab in which students look at solubility of different covalent and ionic compounds. Have students record observations on what was more soluble, and what wasn&#8217;t soluble. Then, allow for students to conceptualize which bond type may be stronger using their newly learned definitions and model representations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These experiences surely would have helped the students who participated in the Bretz &amp; Luxford 2013 study. They would have a <strong>better base of knowledge<\/strong>, and, as result, <strong>less stemming misconceptions!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1469 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/files\/2018\/10\/download-3-1.jpg?resize=308%2C215\" alt=\"\" width=\"308\" height=\"215\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Continue your journey into CER, constructivism, and chemical bonding. Read the paper for yourself!<\/p>\n<p>Luxford, C. J.; Bretz, S. L.\u00a0<i>Chemistry Education Research and Practice\u00a0<\/i>2013,\u00a0<i>14<\/i>(2), 214\u2013222.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Diving into Chemistry Education Research (CER) Research within chemistry education is incredibly important to the progression of teaching methods within the subject. Chemistry is a <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2018\/10\/complexity-in-thinking-constructivism-within-chemistry-learning\/\" title=\"Complexity in Thinking: Constructivism within Chemistry Learning\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2525,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[47,34],"class_list":["post-1454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-constructivism","tag-constructivism","tag-edt431"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2525"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1454"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1470,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1454\/revisions\/1470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}