Thefeaturesofchemistrythatmakeitsuchafascinatingandengagingsubjecttoteachalsocontributetoitbeingachallengingsubjectformanylearners.Chemistrydrawsuponawiderangeofabstractconcepts,whichareembeddedinalargebodyoftheoreticalknowledge.Asascience,chemistryoffersideasthataretheproductsofscientists’creativeimaginations,andyetwhicharemotivatedandconstrainedbyobservationsofnaturalphenomena.Chemistryisoftendiscussedandtaughtlargelyintermsofnon-observabletheoreticalentities-suchasmoleculesandelectronsandorbitals-whichprobablyseemasfamiliarandrealtoachemistryteacherasBunsenburners:and,yet,comprisearealmasalienandstrangetomanystudentsassomelearners’ownalternativeconceptions(’misconceptions’)mayappeartotheteacher.Allchemistryteachersknowthatchemistryisaconceptualsubject,especiallyattheupperendofsecondaryschoolandatuniversitylevel,andthatsomestudentsstruggletounderstandmanychemicalideas.Thisbookoffersastep-by-stepanalysisanddiscussionofjustwhysomestudentsfindchemistrydifficult,byexaminingthenatureofchemistryconcepts,andhowtheyarecommunicatedandlearnt.Thebookconsiderstheideaofconceptsitself;drawsuponcasestudiesofhowcanonicalchemicalconceptshavedeveloped;exploreshowchemicalconceptsbecomerepresentedincurriculumandinclassroomteaching;anddiscusseshowconceptuallearninganddevelopmentoccurs.Thisbookwillbeinvaluabletoanyoneinterestedinteachingandlearningandoffersguidancetoteacherslookingtomakesenseof,andrespondto,thechallengesofteachingchemistry.
yet CONCEPT CHEMICAL NATURE YET
