Abstract

GARRITZ, Andoni. Chemistry teaching for 21st century society, characterized by uncertainty. Educ. quím [online]. 2010, vol.21, n.1, pp.02-15. ISSN 0187-893X.

Society, science and technology are modernizing with brisk changes, and for that reason we feel that education must be renewed. We start this essay by analyzing the years of finalizing 19th century and beginning of the 20th, comparing all of that revolutionary changes with today's. Related with that, it is true that science has adopted an uncertainty sign since the arrival of the Heisenberg's Principle and chaotic systems. We wonder how our students can face all of these changes and all uncertainty in their science courses. We focus on ten topics that will constitute a Decalogue of Paradigms for the future of Chemistry Education: 1) Chemistry at the frontier; 2) Analogies; 3) Uncertainty; 4) Inquiry; 5) Models and modeling; 6) Nature of science; 7) Competencies; 8) Risk; 9) Communication and Information Technologies, and 10) Affectivity.

Keywords : Chemistry teaching; paradigms of education; uncertainty; brisk changes.