Abstract

HERNANDEZ-MILLAN, Gisela; IRAZOQUE-PALAZUELOS, Glinda  and  LOPEZ-VILLA, Norma M.. How to diversify the practical works?: An illustrative experiment and a practical exercise as examples. Educ. quím [online]. 2012, vol.23, suppl.1, pp.101-111. ISSN 0187-893X.

The majority of science teachers believe that familiarity with scientific methods through numerous laboratory practices is a priority objective of science education, as important or more than the acquisition of conceptual knowledge. However, a great number of investigations indicate that it is not true. Educational research has revealed serious errors in the orientation of practical work and in the teachers' conceptions of the nature of the underlying scientific work they carry out. Now it looks as if the issue regarding learning in and from the science laboratory - in teaching and learning Chemistry - is still relevant. Based on Hodson's analysis of the experimental work, we reviewed some of the proposals to diversify and reconceptualize practical teaching, so we designed and tested an experiment and a practical exercise. The goal of the first is to promote the construction of the kinetic molecular model of matter and of the second is the issue of limiting reactant.

Keywords : practical works; chemical education; kinetic molecular model of the matter; limiting reactant.