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Presented By: Department of Chemistry

Development of Students' Chemical Thinking

Hannah Sevian (University of Massachusetts, Boston)

Chemical thinking is the development and application of chemistry knowledge and practices with the primary intent of synthesizing, analyzing, and transforming matter for practical purposes. Scientifically literate individuals, as well as chemists, must rely on chemical thinking to address practical concerns, such as how to dispose of batteries, what containers are safe for storing different foods, and which fuels impart least damage to the planet. The Chemical Thinking framework is a discipline-specific nature of science theory. It defines the discipline of chemistry in such a way that the learning of chemistry and use of chemical thinking can be mapped and measured across a long educational span, from novice to advanced chemist, along six core questions that chemistry can answer. Three progress variables are defined in which sophistication is augmented as learning progresses: conceptual fluency, complexity of reasoning, and epistemological framing of problem spaces. The framework will be described, and examples will be drawn from empirical studies of one of the six core disciplinary questions of chemical thinking. A mapping of the chemical thinking landscape will be illustrated for the chemical identity question, “What is this substance?” Results from two other chemical thinking core questions will be briefly highlighted: chemical control, associated with the question, “How can chemical changes be controlled?” and benefits-costs-risks, associated with the question, “What are the consequences of using and producing matter?” Analysis reveals common patterns of thinking across these and other core concepts. Implications for teaching and learning will be discussed.
Hannah Sevian (University of Massachusetts, Boston)

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