The current emphasis in science education is on the employment of constructivist strategies and practices that focus on building both students' thinking and knowledge capacities. Such strategies and practices have been linked to greater educational gains, improved attitudes toward science and the development of transferable skills such as critical thinking and effective team working. The development of transferable skills is considered an important educational goal, and one of the major ways of assuring sustainable development in education. The Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) and the Science Writing and Workshop Project (SWWP) are two constructivist strategies aimed at building students' thinking and knowledge capacities. The SWWP combines the elements of inquiry, collaboration, writing, and reflection, with workshops geared toward the development of critical thinking skills, while the Peer-Led Team Learning is a model in which a student who has recently successfully completed a course is recruited to facilitate a small group of students currently taking the course, in discussion and problem-solving. These strategies were implemented into an introductory chemistry course. The critical thinking skills of the students in the course were assessed using the CCTST and the scores of SWWP and PLTL participants compared with those of non-SWWP and non-PLTL students. The results and implications of the study are discussed.

Constructivist strategies and practices in chemical education: Peer-Led Team Learning and the Science Writing and Workshop Project

248th National Meeting (2014)

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