Designing an educative curriculum unit for teaching molecular geometry in high school chemistry
| Author(s) | Makarious, Nader | |
| Date Accessioned | 2017-04-27T11:45:05Z | |
| Date Available | 2017-04-27T11:45:05Z | |
| Publication Date | 2017 | |
| Abstract | Chemistry is a highly abstract discipline that is taught and learned with the aid of various models. Among the most challenging, yet a fundamental topic in general chemistry at the high school level, is molecular geometry. This study focused on developing exemplary educative curriculum materials pertaining to the topic of molecular geometry. The methodology used in this study consisted of several steps. First, a diverse set of models were analyzed to determine to what extent each model serves its purpose in teaching molecular geometry. Second, a number of high school teachers and college chemistry professors were asked to share their experiences on using models in teaching molecular geometry through an online questionnaire. Third, findings from the comparative analysis of models, teachers’ experiences, literature review on models and students’ misconceptions, the curriculum expectations of the Next Generation Science Standards and their emphasis on three-dimensional learning and nature of science (NOS) contributed to the development of the molecular geometry unit. Fourth, the developed unit was reviewed by fellow teachers and doctoral-level science education experts and was revised to further improve its coherence and clarity in support of teaching and learning of the molecular geometry concepts. The produced educative curriculum materials focus on the scientific practice of developing and using models as promoted in the Next Generations Science Standards (NGSS) while also addressing nature of science (NOS) goals. The educative features of the newly developed unit support teachers’ pedagogical knowledge (PK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The unit includes an overview, teacher’s guide, and eight detailed lesson plans with inquiry oriented modeling activities replete with models and suggestions for teachers, as well as formative and summative assessment tasks. The unit design process serves as a model for redesigning other instructional units in science disciplines in general and chemistry courses in particular. | en_US |
| Advisor | Dagher, Zoubeida | |
| Degree | D.Ed. | |
| Department | University of Delaware, School of Education | |
| Unique Identifier | 984509849 | |
| URL | http://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/21286 | |
| Publisher | University of Delaware | en_US |
| URI | https://search.proquest.com/docview/1884790597?accountid=10457 | |
| Title | Designing an educative curriculum unit for teaching molecular geometry in high school chemistry | en_US |
| Type | Thesis | en_US |