Teaching Resources

Chemistry e-Book (Lower Secondary School – 2nd Grade)

Avramiotis, S.; Aggelopoulos, V.; Kapelonis, G.; Sinigalias, P.; Spantidis, D.; Trikaliti, A.; Filos, G

ΟΕΔΒ ΑΘΗΝΑ

2011

Online course, e-book

Basic, Medium

Problem solving, Experiential learning, Self-learning

Fundamental Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry

Lower Secondary School

Greek

Yes

Prerequisites: This teaching resource, available freely at the portal of the Greek Ministry of Education, does not require downloading any additional special software for functioning.

Contents: The teaching resource is the enriched electronic version of the standard chemistry textbook used in the 2nd Grade of the Lower Secondary School in Greece. It is important to note that this is the first time that students get in contact with the chemistry course in their secondary education. The e-book is organized in four main sections with several subsections. These sections are the following: Introduction to Chemistry (with 3 subsections), From water to the atom (with 11 subsections), Atmospheric air (with 4 subsections) and Soil (with 2 subsections).
The basic design of each subsection is the following: At the beginning, there is a reference to some “first thoughts” which describe, by using 2-3 sentences, some everyday life experiences which are somehow related to the chemical phenomenon/concept that is the subject of the section. Subsequently, the main anticipated results from the study of the section are briefly stated. The main material is presented by using a combination of text, photos and a large collection of links by clicking on small characteristic images. The links include connections to short videos, additional photos, interactive quizzes and fun activities, additional or explanatory information. In each section, there is almost always a citation named “A window to the lab” in which (at least) one laboratory experiment is presented by using text, images, and/or video. In addition, each section usually includes a citation named “Chemistry everywhere” in which a short reference is made to the presence/connection of the presented material with some real life phenomenon or experience. Each section usually ends with a collection of exercises, problems or questions for self-assessment. In many cases, the self-assessment section is of interactive nature.

Aims: The educational material provided, aims mainly in encouraging self-learning, ie in motivating the student to learn chemistry by studying on his/her own. The material is presented in a way that aims to attract student’s attention and interest in learning chemistry. The teaching resource also aims at bringing out the connection of chemistry with other scientific fields and with everyday life experiences of the students.

Task Description and use in class: The tasks to be performed by the students are described in a way which is clear and user-friendly. The student has to interact with the material in several ways, for example by going through an on-line quiz. The material is designed mainly for use by the students themselves for self-learning and self-evaluation. However, the teacher can also incorporate the material in the class practice via an interactive blackboard. The website which makes available this e-book, contains also supplementary material for both the teacher (“Teacher’s handbook) and the student (“Student’s handbook”). This material provides specific guidelines and practical information on the possible ways of incorporating the e-book in the class practice.

This teaching resource is designed in a user-friendly manner in order to make chemistry more appealing to the average student. The use of videos, images and especially of interactive fun activities and quizzes can have a significant effect in motivating students to explore the world of chemistry. The material is easily available, it does not require any special software for functioning and it is presented in a concise manner. It is important that each subsection is kept quite short in size and it aims in achieving a specific educational result. The additional information includes often Wikipedia links, which may not be suitable for the knowledge level of students of this age or which are available only in English. The material is overall scientifically reliable.

TEI of Ionian Islands