Teaching Resources

Chemistry Calculations B

Giannakoudakis, A.; Kousathana, M.; Bekiaris, N.; Nalbadis, K.; Salta, K.; Sigalas, M.; Tzougraki, C.; Charistos, N.

Greek Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs

2007

Downloadable software, Downloadable material

Basic, Medium

Cooperative learning, Problem solving, Peer education

Fundamental Chemistry

Lower Secondary School, Upper Secondary School

Greek

Yes

Prerequisites: The educational material available at this site is available freely. Some of the applications require downloading (and installing) the application Vlab, while others (5 out of the 14) are directly executable by clicking on an .exe file.

Contents and Task Description: This is an integrated educational package specifically designed for aiding the secondary school chemistry teacher incorporate new technologies in chemistry education. It consists of a total of 14 teaching units in the following subjects: Solution concentration units, solubility, gas laws, gas state equation, carbon-14 dating, buffer solutions, pH of salt solutions, acid-base titrations. Each teaching unit consists of a part which is executed in the computer (virtual laboratory interactive activity) and a part which is executed on paper after the realization of the computer activity (assessment exercises). In addition, each teaching unit provides detailed teaching plan and useful practical advice and directions for successful implementation of the educational package in the teaching practice.

Aims: The material aims in developing the analytical and quantitative skills of students by making use of new technologies (computer interactive applications). It also aims in making the student accustomed to laboratory practice via the use of simulated lab activities. Performing chemistry calculations is often a very problematic subject for the students which can pose a major obstacle to the learning process. This educational package aims in increasing the teaching effectiveness of this subject and also in making it more attractive for the student.

Use in class: The material is specifically designed for use in the class practice. Detailed practical instructions are given to the teacher on how to implement the material in the teaching praxis. Depending on the availability of computer terminals, students are organized in small teams and they can subsequently engage in the different applications such as conduct different experiments in the virtual laboratory, write down their observations, solve problems etc. Usually, the initial part of the class work involves use of the computer application and the second part involves student assessment activities.

This teaching resource is an integrated educational package which has been designed and produced by an expert team of chemistry secondary school teachers and chemistry university professors. All the authors of this package are active researchers in the field of chemistry education and as a result the material produced is scientifically reliable and it specifically aims in aiding teachers incorporate new technologies in chemistry teaching. The availability of student worksheets, evaluation sheets, detailed proposed teaching plans and directions for use of the material in class, make this teaching resource a really valuable integrated teaching proposal. The practical use of the material by the teacher requires some initial effort and time investment since the material needs to be downloaded, files need to be extracted, some software needs to be installed and checked for correct function before application in class.

TEI of Ionian Islands