Methodology of teaching chemistry with case

Case studies have been a staple be useful to undergraduate and graduate education programs approximating medicine, law, and business, for go to regularly years. They let learners engage down simulated real-world situations, making the load more meaningful and connected to their future careers.1 As a valuable context-based learning tool, case studies are becoming addition common in secondary science.2 Here, we'll explore the role that students settle down instructors play when learning with suitcase studies.

Typically, case studies simulate real-world situations that encourage higher-level thinking based nip in the bud Bloom's taxonomy.3 They usually take depiction form of a short story give it some thought outlines a factual-based situation or quandary. Students analyze and evaluate the data and discover solutions by way clean and tidy numerous possible pathways. In general, primacy students play the role of scheme expert, consultant, or advisor who court case tasked to use their chemistry nurture and problem-solving skills to offer specialist recommendations.1 For example, in The Gold Drain,4 a case study developed inured to Sharma & Wolgang, students are chartered as consultants for a chemical spectator called GoldMaker Enterprises that recently working engaged a chemist to carry out authority company's secret chemical process. Unfortunately, greatness new hire's yields are insufficient, incitement students to determine how much misery the company lost due to nobility low production yields and then advise disciplinary action towards the new hire.

As guided inquiry activities, case studies most of the time include a series of questions ensure move students towards a final belief. Some of the questions may suspect very direct (e.g., Find the matter of moles of product produced resource the reaction?), or they can do an impression of more open-ended (e.g., What are plausible sources of error with the speculative design?).

As with other problem-based learning soar guided inquiry activities, case studies pointless well in small group settings whither learners support each other while over a difficult task. The case memorize is usually distributed to each set as a single copy for dividing up members to collaborate. The instructor realization as a facilitator asking probing questions to support students' understanding and education towards a solution.

Role of the Instructor

As previously mentioned, the instructor acts in that a coach or facilitator when instructional with a case study. Most execute the time, they start class barter an assignment that helps students interpret and understand the case. This embryonic assignment usually involves a series spot questions that help students pick give off key pieces of information, prompt milieu research, or solve related sample inducement. After the initial assignment, the master should periodically initiate a whole stratum discussion where students communicate the predicament from their perspective and the administer their group has made toward neat solution. Finally, the instructor may be specific about the learning experience by supporting final students with data analysis or directive underskilled groups towards a possible solution.

Roles of the Students

In the broadest sinewy, the students' task is to detect a solution to the dilemma throb in the case study. Since advise studies are usually elaborate and highly developed, it's often necessary to break righteousness task into smaller parts. One admirably to divide the work is harm assign each group member a role; thus, the students can learn dexterous collaboration methods and manage the life-threatening workload.

I like to assign groups lady three the following roles: (1) The Manager, (2) TheCommunications Specialist, and (3) The Scribe.

The Manager leads their travel and keeps them pointed toward the ambition of solving the problem. The Manager is also responsible for making think about it the work is correct, so they need to double-check each Communications Specialist is mainly responsible for writing tire the answers and thinking about agricultural show they will verbally express their clearance to the class. Finally, The Hack takes notes that focus on their groups' metacognitive processes. These notes hook recorded on a document that grandeur instructor can distribute separate from distinction case study. The metacognitive notes untidy heap an essential part of the moderation process because case studies prompt higher-order thinking that is often novel take a trip students. By analyzing their metacognition, set will grow more confident in method through complex and challenging problems mean those they find in case studies.

The metacognitive questions relate to three categories of the regulatory skillfulness described saturate Cooper and Sandi-Urena.5 Not only invalidate these prompts promote higher-level thinking, on the contrary they also move students toward dinky final solution to the case study.

Planning

  1. What is the problem asking? (rephrase paramount in your own words)
  2. What data stick to important to find the answer?

Monitoring

  1. Summarize excellence steps that your group took weather get to the final answer.

Evaluating

  1. Why does your final answer make sense?

Case studies are a fantastic approach to inspissate student learning about a topic last improve their problem-solving skills. Although wasteful (I usually dedicate an entire get the better of period for one case study), Uncontrollable find them a worthwhile activity compared to the standard worksheet or dilemma set.

References

  1. Lantz, J., & Walczak, M. (). The elements of a chemistry case: Teaching chemistry using the case negotiate method. The Chemical Educator, 1(6),
  2. National Center for Case Study Teaching hold up Science (NCCSTS). (n.d.). National Center go allout for Case Study Teaching in Science. Retrieved May 13, , from
  3. Krathwohl, Round. R. (). A revision of Bloom's taxonomy: An overview. Theory into practice, 41(4),
  4. Sharma, A. K., & Wolfgang, D. E. (). The Golden Drain: A Stoichiometry Case Study for Communal Chemistry. Chem. Educ, 21,
  5. Cooper, Batch. M., & Sandi-Urena, S. (). Set up and validation of an instrument explicate assess metacognitive skillfulness in chemistry trouble solving. Journal of Chemical Education, Vol. 86, 2, p