Thinking · Experiment and Chemical Teaching

Author: Zeng Hui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Chemistry is an ancient discipline, and its applications can be traced back to before recorded history. The discovery and use of fire were humanity's second-greatest chemical practice. Since the discovery of fire, people gradually mastered a series of chemical processes, ending the era of eating raw meat and drinking blood, and evolved step by step to where we are today. Since the 1980s, chemistry has entered a new stage of development, with modern chemistry showing unprecedented close ties to other disciplines, closely interconnected with human beings, nature, and society. Chemistry, together with other disciplines, shoulders the responsibility of addressing major social issues such as life, health, materials, energy, and environmental protection. Our students, even after completing high school chemistry courses, truly understand chemistry? Do they understand the characteristics of the discipline? Do they possess the ability to identify, research, and solve problems? How is their chemical thinking? The answers to these questions are often unsatisfactory. Therefore, reform is necessary. In recent years, research on the reform of chemistry education and teaching has been active both domestically and internationally, with the focus primarily on the concepts and content of chemistry education. First, we must establish the concept of chemistry education in the new era: cultivating citizens who are prepared for life in the 21st century—individuals who must possess the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to improve quality of life. Then, we must find ways to achieve these goals through the main channel of basic education—classroom teaching. Therefore, we must study classroom teaching and explore how to develop students' potential and cultivate innovation through classroom teaching, ultimately achieving the above "science for the masses" goal. We chose thinking as the starting point because it is the soul of classroom teaching. Under the guidance of the Beijing Municipal Philosophy and Social Sciences "Nineth Five-Year Plan" Key Project "Theoretical Research and Teaching Experiment on Developing Imaginary Thinking," the research team systematically studied the latest findings in psychology, pedagogy, and brain science, gradually applying these theoretical knowledge to teaching practice. With imaginary thinking as the core, we first clarified the unique perspective of secondary school chemistry education, which involves the characteristics of the secondary school chemistry discipline, its educational function, and the features of chemical thinking. Then, we focused on discussing how to train students' thinking in secondary school chemistry teaching to achieve the goal of cultivating abilities. The book focuses on several commonly used methods of imaginary thinking, clarifying the characteristics and applications of each method, and analyzing the thinking process in chemical discovery and problem-solving with examples. We then explore how to select appropriate methods in classroom teaching for different teaching content, comprehensively applying imaginary and abstract thinking to optimize classroom teaching. Finally, we look forward to the new curriculum system, which is jointly constructed by subject-based and activity-based courses, and is conducive to the cultivation of innovative abilities and also provides a great opportunity for students to engage in thinking training. In the new curriculum system, students have more space, and their thinking can be freer and more divergent, which provides a solid foundation for the training of imaginary thinking. At the end of the book, we present the experiments conducted in various teaching modules over the years of exploration and practice, recorded in the form of teaching demonstrations. We have selected several representative examples to discuss the optimization of teaching processes for elements and compounds, organic chemistry, and basic chemical theories, as well as attempts at inquiry-based learning, training in divergent thinking, and the exploration of teaching models for autonomous and open-ended learning. This book is the result of the participation of some teachers from the Chemistry Department of Beijing Normal University Affiliated Experimental High School in the Beijing Municipal Philosophy and Social Sciences "Nineth Five-Year Plan" Key Project "Theoretical Research and Teaching Experiment on Developing Imaginary Thinking." The research team members, Senior Teachers Zhou Jing, Zhang Lixiong, Wang Xiangyang, and Zhang Xiaohong of the Chemistry Department of Beijing Normal University Affiliated Experimental High School, provided strong support throughout the research period. Here, we express our sincere gratitude to them.