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TEACHING RESOURCES INFORMATION

TITLE OF TEACHING RESOURCE

Effective Learning by Reformation of Education at Gymnasiums (Grammer Schools)

NAME OF AUTHOR(S)

Marek Šima, Jiří Šolc, Jarmila Austová

NAME OF PRODUCER

SPŠCH Ostrava

WEBSITE OF THE PRODUCT

http://euro.vsp.cz/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80&Itemid=60

TYPE OF PRODUCT

Downloadable material

LEVEL OF CHEMISTRY KNOWLEDGE

Medium

PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH

Problem solving, Experiential learning

SUBJECT AREA

Fundamental Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry

TARGET GROUP LEVEL

Upper Secondary School

LANGUAGE/S OF TEACHING RESOURCES

Czech

TUTORIAL SUPPORT

DESCRIPTION

The prerequisite seems to be basic knowledge of chemistry as some of the experiments are more advanced and require previous understanding of certain phenomenon. The topics regarding chemistry provide support through videos, guidance documents and presentations including materials for teaching chemistry at gymnasiums and technical lyceums. Selected exhibits are to be used within chemistry curriculum. The materials can be utilized in many different ways. The videos are to be used, when the school does not use a chemical laboratory or when the experiments are not repeated during next class or when the experiments are too dangerous or too complicated to be shown during classes. The presentations are to be used during chemistry lessons and the instructions can be used while working in the laboratory. Also the students can watch the videos again at home after class as well as they can open the presentations and read through them again at home. Other use of the materials can be done during chemistry courses. The purpose is to improve teaching of chemistry, increase level of knowledge and interest and explain application of current issues instead of using routine cases. Also by using visual aids, more attention from the class should follow.
The material also provides methods for teaching the students how to search information and also how to create presentations which seems rather useful. I believe that the best method of teaching is practical work in the laboratory with the explanation of effects. But if the practical work is not possible to be conducted, videos are one of the best substitute methods. They do not provide practical experience to the students but at least they show the procedure and outcome in more imaginable way. Two of the video files I cannot open (alkaline metals, water with Ca and reactions sulfur with zinc). The explanations or records of chemical reactions are missing in the video, but I think it should be there.

COMMENTS

The main strength of the source is the fact that it maintains high science credibility. Another important strength of this source is its high education value as there is variety of usage for the material, as already described above. In addition the files with the presentations are also quite useful and allow for time saving from the teachers´ point of view as well as students´ who can use the presentations at home after class when they want to either repeat some of the material or when something was unclear to them in class and they want to reread it once more. On the other hand I consider that the absence of explanation text within the videos with experiments is the main flaw.

NAME OF THE REVIEWING ORGANISATION

SPŠST Panská 3, Praha 1

Comments about this Publication

Your comments are welcome

Date: 2013.02.07

Posted by Katarína Javorová (Slovakia)

Message: Web educational portal Effective Learning by Reformation of Education at Gymnasiums which was created within the project EUROgymnasiums. The main aim of this project is processing of experience with modern methods of teaching, creation of own teaching materials and their testing directly in educational process and evaluation of teaching material created. Teaching materials were created by teachers and students of grammar schools involved in project. Teaching materials presented cover the curriculum of higher secondary education from various subjects: Czech language, foreign language, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, work with ICT, history, esthetics for grammar schools. In the chemistry subject there is grammar school curriculum for topics: general and inorganic chemistry. Using of educational portals during preparation of teachers for lesson or their direct use in lessons is certain form of learning (e-learning) which becomes a complement to a classic form of teaching. E-learning and its other types are normal type of learning in abroad. A student signs at online courses. Educational materials created improve teaching at grammar schools and it is an advantage for teachers and students because all of the materials are available on the web page. At the page a teacher or a student can find 21 videos from chemical experiments, tutorials for laboratory exercises, worksheets, laboratory protocols and PowerPoint presentations for general and inorganic chemistry. Teacher can download teaching material and use it in a lesson or in a laboratory exercise. Videos from chemical experiments are well done in technical and didactic aspect. Even though there are well known chemical experiments it is good that a teacher has also a video of it which can be used also in other phases of teaching (eg. fixation of curriculum). Worksheets have many tasks which are related to other teaching materials created as videos or presentations. Web educational portal is appropriate for preparation of students at home in a form of self-study when a student can work by his own speed and decides which content he will learn.

National Reports on successful experiences to promote lifelong learning for chemistry The national reports on chemistry successful experiences to promote lifelong learning for chemistry are now available on the related section of the project portal. The reports presents examples of successful experiences in the partner countries and the results of testing of ICT resources with science teachers.