بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Assalamu Alaikum,
Another question that comes up over and over in my mind:
Is the purpose of teaching chemistry to help students learn how to be efficient with their hands or with their minds?
You could argue both come hand in hand, (no pun intended) but the way a teacher designs a lesson can heavily impact what students take from it.
Do I want to teach chemistry as something that they should remember as formulas, math computations and information tables? As a subject that when they leave the class, they can do practical chemistry (as in lab techniques)? As problem solvers that no matter what discipline they study, they can use the analytical and critical thinking skills they have learned in chemistry? As a prerequisite to something else (organic chemistry, etc.)? As a science and simply learn how the world works?
In some ways, I think it boils down to this: Is it more important for students to be able to use the knowledge for some practical application or for them to develop as intellectual beings? (Back to square one!)
I don’t know. =) Other thoughts are welcome!
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Obviously a little bit of everything up there matters, but when I thought about it some more, I began to wonder just in general:
What is the purpose of studying chemistry?
(Person I know: Because it is fun!)
Is it to learn more about the world? Find solutions in chemistry to world problems (as in energy usage, material production, finding remedies)? Learn to become more developed thinkers? Do people study chemistry for the sake of itself or as a means to another end?
And then a realistic chemistry education student’s mind echoes: Will any of my students really care? Why should they care?
What I am throwing out there for you readers:
Why care to learn chemistry and what is its purpose to you?
I think it is important to think about why we do things and why we should care. I guess this post is meant to make you think more than me saying something I learned.
I’m actually studying physics and I don’t really like chemistry. Had a bad chem teacher in hs.
A load of parents would tell you the reason youre teaching chemistry is to help their kid get a 5 on the AP chem exam, do good on the ACT and/or help them get a high paying job. It is great you are thinking beyond a kid’s immediate future and to think chemistry will help them become a mature whole being, but not many people care.
But learning chemistry in general would be about learning more about the world and if possible, make it better. That’s what I think anyway.
Keep up the posts.