Ateneo - UPO

The course will concern active and passive teaching methods, applying them to subjects of chemistry and focusing on the problems related to their learning / teaching.

Copies of the slides shown during the course will be available on D.I.R. together with other useful material. The following texts are recommended:
-M. Castagna, Progettare la formazione, FrancoAngeli;
- V. Domenici, Insegnare e apprendere la Chimica, Ed. Mondadori Università, Milano, 2018;
- Cipolla, Didattica della Chimica - Metodi e strumenti per l’insegnamento e l’apprendimento della chimica, EdiSES;
- Y. Vercher, N. Gerber, Chimica in casa – Atomi e molecole tra le mura domestiche, Ed. Dedalo;
- G. Paladino, C. Spalatro, Didattica capovolta: matematica e scienze, Ed. Centro studi Erickson.

The course aims: (i) to raise awareness of issues related to the teaching / learning chemistry; (ii) to suggest teaching strategies based on the involvement of the student as an active subject; (iii) to offer future teachers the opportunity to compare each other and with more experienced teachers; (iv) to describe educational pathways aimed to develop transversal skills.

Course of General chemistry

Lessons with active engagement of the students and collective discussions; lesson simulations.

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/servicesstudents-physical-or-learning-disabilities.

Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

The exam will consist in the evaluation of the clarity and precision of a didactic pathway suggested by the student about a chemistry topic related to the course and of a related brief lesson that will be carried out by the student. Moreover, the ability to answer to the clarification questions will be evaluated. Such an exam allows to evaluate the acquired theoretical knowledges, communication skills in their presentation, the ability of making judgment and autonomously learning. The student with all the listed abilities/capacities (see expected learning outcomes) will be given the highest grade. To pass the exam the student will have to prove at least the knowledge and understanding of the basic concepts and the use of a suitable scientific language.

Chemistry in the school. Introduction to epistemology. Introduction to learning models. Skills teaching. Passive teaching methodologies: lesson. Active teaching methodologies: case studies, simulations, flipped classrooms, laboratories, problem-solving, etc. Importance and use of new technologies: blended learning, use of videos, brainstorming tools, etc. Application of these methods to chemistry topics (matter and mole, periodic table, redox reaction, acids and bases) and to current topics (green chemistry, sustainability, pollution, etc). During the lessons, whenever the opportunity arises, attention will be focused on gender-related topics.

Knowledge and understanding: skills teaching, effective teaching methods.
Applying knowledge and understanding: ability to explain in clear and effective way, ability to build an didactic pathway.
Making judgements: ability to interpret and rationalize basic concepts from a critical point of view with a scientific approach.
Communication skills: acquisition of a vocabulary of chemical terms to be able to expose chemical-scientific topics and to answer the pupils’ questions in a precise, concise and clear manner.
Learning skills: ability to autonomously study in depth a subject to be presented.