Didaktik models can help us as educators to be aware of and reflect about all aspects of teaching and learning, including curricular and assessment issues (Sjöström, Eilks & Talanquer, 2020). For example they can be about the purpose of (chemical) education and corresponding choices of relevant content and contexts. Furthermore, they can also help us to reflect about implicit worldviews, ideologies and discourses in (chemical) teaching. One such model (Sjöström & Talanquer, 2014), aiming at humanistic and critical-reflexive chemistry teaching, is based on Mahaffy’s (2004) tetrahedron and has Johnstone’s (1993) triangle (macro; submicro; symbolic) in the bottom. In Mahaffy’s model, the top of the tetrahedron represents the human element, including both relevant contexts and productive practices. In the developed model, the top of the tetrahedron is subdivided into different levels: (0) pure chemistry (Johnstone’s triangle); (1) applied chemistry; (2a) socio-historical chemistry; (2b) socio-scientific chemistry; (3a) socio-cultural chemistry; and (3b) socio-political chemistry. By moving up in the tetrahedron we can expand our views of chemistry teaching, from a traditional focus on disciplinary content to also including aspects of the nature and culture of chemistry, the role of chemistry in society and critical perspectives, where the traditional discourse of chemistry is problematized (Sjöström, 2007). Essential questions for socio-political chemistry include value-centered issues of relevance to our global challenges. Among problematizing perspectives it is important to include different philosophical considerations, such as ontological, epistemological and ethical perspectives (Marcelino, Sjöström & Marques, 2019). Chemical thinking, learning, knowing and actions based on such views take moral-philosophical-existential-political alternatives into consideration and can be discussed based on current ideas on eco-reflexive <i>Bildung </i>and (chemical) education (Sjöström, Eilks & Zuin, 2016; Sjöström & Talanquer, 2018). A new didaktik model for socio-eco-reflexive chemistry education (Herranen, Yavuzkaya & Sjöström, under review) will be highlighted at the symposium.

Towards socio-eco-reflexive chemistry education

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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