Critical thinking in chemistry education: a study for practical application in secondary education based on questions, explanations, and arguments

This study attempts to insert critical thinking practices in the secondary chemistry classroom, specifically Years 9 and 10. Critical thinking is a concept elusive in nature, with several definitions, addressing both the disposition and the skills of an aspiring critical thinker. Through the theoretical exploration of CT, practical benefits emerge for acquiring CT within the scope of chemistry via the use of questions, explanations and arguments. The challenge of the study has been to conceptualise and implement CT in teaching and learning practices. Two Year 9 groups and one Year 10 group with their teachers participated in the study, each enriching the data with different approaches to critical thinking. Trends of teaching practices emerged within and across the groups of participants and influenced the learning practices of the students. As a definition for critical-thinking-as-praxis developed with the aim to provide applicable guidance to education practitioners for enhancing critical thinking in their practice. Resembling a loop of stages for the development of critical thinking for the learners and actions at each stage of development for the teachers. According to the analysis of the data, teacher attitudes had a direct impact on student attitudes and the success of using the praxis was based on frequent practice towards CT development

SCIENCE EDUCATION VS SOCIAL EXCLUSION: DEVELOPING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR THE INTEGRATION OF SOCIALLY EXCLUDED GROUPS IN SCIENCE CLASSROOMS

This paper focuses on making science easier to understand for all students. The traditional way of defining science teaching has in recent years proven to be limited. Hence the picture of the science classroom to date has been one where only those students with a natural talent to understand scientific issues are the most active ones within the whole science teaching process. At the same time those students who do not share this talent, not only are excluded because of the difficulty they face in understanding, but also they consider science obsolete as it does not touch upon their interests for their future. The science classroom is divided into two distinct groups that share no link of communication on the subject taught. And this most often extends to other subjects as well. This is mostly due to the fact that the conservative educational policy concerning science education refers to science as fact-based knowledge. In this context a fundamental feature of science is that it deals solely with scientific facts and excludes cultural, social, political or human values which would motivate all students to get involved. We aim to bring forth a different approach of science which is based on inter-communication among all students. We wish to point out the importance that lies behind scientific thinking which is that it facilitates all students to be able to take decisions on contemporary social, cultural, environmental and political issues as future citizens