Patterns for Chemical Education: A New Way to Connect Research to Practice

TCE

The Chemical Educator

ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)

Table of Contents

Abstract Volume 12 Issue 5 (2007) pp 370-373

Patterns for Chemical Education: A New Way to Connect Research to Practice

Susan D. Wiediger

Department of Chemistry and Office of Science and Mathematics Education, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL, 62026-1652, swiedig@siue.edu
Received November 20, 2006. Accepted July 1, 2007.

Published online: 5 September 2007

Abstract. Patterns are ideas from architecture that would enable pragmatically successful pedagogical approaches and chemical education research results to be presented in the same format and system. Thus, they would be accessible to high school teachers and college professors nonlinearly and just-in-time. Patterns define a format for problems and solutions that is readily adaptable to different settings. An important characteristic of Patterns for educators will be clear connections to the original research literature; this will provide evidence of the testing of the Pattern and directions for further study. Once a Pattern is identified as being a solution to a particular problem in instruction, related Patterns reveal indirect effects that could result from implementing the Pattern. This paper describes Patterns using an example from safety instruction programs.

Key Words: Of Special Interest; chemical education; knowledge management; connecting research to practice; general chemistry; laboratory; social constructivist; pedagogy; patterns; pattern languages; laboratory safety

(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: swiedig@siue.edu)

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