Editorial: Why do you 'need-to-know': context-based education

This Special Issue with a description of five different context-based approaches includes a reflection on Context-based Chemistry Education. It evaluates the extent to which such approaches can address these curriculum challenges, applying Gilbert's criteria and models for the use of 'context'

Catàleg de les molses d'Andorra

El catàleg és una recopilació de totes les dades publicades que fan referència a les molses d'Andorra. S'han revisat tots els exemplars d'herbari assequibles corresponents a les espècies publicades. Aquest treball representa l'estat actual del coneixement de la brioflora (molses) d'Andorra.The catalogue is a compilation of all the data published relating to the species of mosses collected in Andorra. All the available specimens published have been revised. This work represents the current knowledge of the Andorran bryoflora (mosses)

Peer Feedback in Learning a Foreign Language in Facebook

Feedback can have different forms and functions depending on its objectives as well as its provider teacher feedback student feedback peer feedback written feedback oral feedback etc One of the most constructive forms of feedback may be peer feedback since it involves group learning Van Gennip Segers and Tillema 2010 According to Topping 1998 p 250 peer feedback is an agreement in which individuals consider the amount level value worth quality or success of the products or outcomes of learning of peers of similar status Cunningham 1992 argues that the interaction and communication that result fromthe production of feedback get more important in online instructional courses than in face to face courses because in his view nothing can bring about learning more than the dialogue among the community members Hewitt 2000 and Tuzi 2004 also emphasize the importance of peer feedback in online environments and point out that in such environments peer feedback can influence the students outcomes more than in face-to-face environments because of the ease of communication as well as the absence of affective factors Thus researchers believe that deep learning can take place in online settings in which students give and receive feedback from one another in a calm stress-free and individualized environment What do we know about feedback from previous researc

Selection of authentic modelling practices as contexts for chemistry education

In science education, students should come to understand the nature and significance of models. In case of chemistry education it is argued that the present use of models is often not meaningful from the students’ perspective. A strategy to overcome this problem is to use an authentic chemical modelling practice as a context for a curriculum unit. The theoretical framework for this strategy is activity theory rooted in sociocultural theories on learning. An authentic chemical modelling practice is characterized by a set of motives for model development through a well defined modelling procedure using only relevant issue knowledge. The aim of this study was to explore, analyse and select authentic chemical modelling practices for use in chemistry education. The suitability of the practices was reviewed by applying a stepwise procedure focussed on criteria such as students' interest and ownership, modelling procedure, issue knowledge and feasibility of the laboratory work in the classroom. It was concluded that modelling drinking water treatment and human exposure assessment are both suitable to serve as contexts, because both practices exhibit clear motives for model construction and the applied modelling procedures are in line with students' pre-existing procedural modelling knowledge. The issue knowledge involved is consistent with present Dutch science curriculum and it is possible to carry out experimental work in the classroom for model calibration and validation. The method described here to select and evaluate practices for use as contexts in chemistry education can also be used in other science domains