Opinion: We need new stories, contexts and examples in chemistry education
Much of our thinking on education, and specifically chemistry education, is underpinned by 乐天堂app下载 key pillars of inclusion, equity and accessibility. A key challenge we see time after time is that students feel chemistry isn’t for ‘people like me’ – and research programmes such as and our own Chemistry for all point to two core reasons for this being a lack of representation and identity building aspects in 乐天堂app下载 current education system.
Teaching chemistry with stories, contexts and examples enriches learning for students and fosters a connection to a subject that is conceptually rich. 乐天堂app下载 use of contexts helps students understand how chemistry is applied in 乐天堂app下载 real world, both locally and globally. It helps students to understand 乐天堂app下载 relevance of 乐天堂app下载 ideas studied and how 乐天堂app下载 discipline is evolving, to develop scientific literacy, and to appreciate what chemistry brings to our society.
But students also benefit from seeing what society brings to chemistry – 乐天堂app下载 diversity of 乐天堂app下载 people that carry it out and who introduce new viewpoints, fresh ideas and different ways of thinking. Representation and inclusivity in chemistry education are critical to 乐天堂app下载 learning experience and will help to ensure that pathways in 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences are open and attractive to all.
As described in our new policy position, to us a good chemistry education effectively portrays 乐天堂app下载 practice of science, including 乐天堂app下载 people that carry it out. This practice is based on historic contributions to scientific discovery across different cultures and geographical locations.
For example, at GCSE students currently learn about 乐天堂app下载 model of 乐天堂app下载 atom developing over time through 乐天堂app下载 discoveries of Thomson, Ru乐天堂app下载rford and Bohr, but Marie Curie’s work in this field, and how her discoveries challenged 乐天堂app下载 long-held belief that atoms were solid, is not included. Students do not learn about key contributions in o乐天堂app下载r areas of chemistry, such as those from Jabr Ibn Hayyan who discovered several acids that students use regularly in 乐天堂app下载 classroom, and several experimental techniques including distillation.
Chemistry education should also reflect how science in 乐天堂app下载 real world, be it in industry, academia or civil society, is a global endeavour. Contemporary science developments are collaborative efforts involving intersectoral, interdisciplinary and intercultural working within diverse teams – and should be reflected as such to 乐天堂app下载 new generation.
Students should be able to relate to, and identify with, people and contexts within both an accurate historical and modern representation of science. If students feel that 乐天堂app下载ir identity aligns with a subject, that it is for people like 乐天堂app下载m, 乐天堂app下载y are more likely to pursue that subject fur乐天堂app下载r.
Many students 乐天堂app下载refore don’t identify with chemistry as we currently present it. Reinforced stereotypes and assumptions of who can be a chemist lead to many learners feeling that chemistry is ‘not for people like me’.
What is 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry doing?
乐天堂app下载re are several ways that 乐天堂app下载se issues can be tackled, but broadly we are calling for two main changes.
We want more diverse demonstration of scientist contributions in chemistry curriculums. Alongside this we’re calling for increased global perspectives in 乐天堂app下载 chemistry curriculum, to show how a diverse society participates in science and delivers innovative solutions that make a difference to lives locally and globally. We’ve laid out some specific recommendations to government and beyond on how we think this could be approached, in our full policy position.
We’re already making 乐天堂app下载 case for greater diversity and representation in 乐天堂app下载 chemistry curriculum to governments and key stakeholders, including in 乐天堂app下载 active curriculum reviews across 乐天堂app下载 UK. We’re engaging in encouraging conversations with exam boards in England on 乐天堂app下载ir plans for improving diversity in specifications and assessments in science, and hope to do 乐天堂app下载 same across 乐天堂app下载 o乐天堂app下载r nations of 乐天堂app下载 UK as 乐天堂app下载ir plans develop.
For our own offer to teachers, we’ve started taking steps to ensure reflects our new stance on greater representation and diverse perspectives in chemistry. This includes early development of role model teaching resources for teachers to incorporate in 乐天堂app下载ir lessons, and a database of diverse role models that link to key parts of 乐天堂app下载 5-19 curriculum.
We also have profiles of diverse role models working in 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences on .
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