Computerized Molecular Modeling as a Tool To Improve Chemistry Teaching

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• 作者：Nitza Barnea and Yehudit J. Dori
• 刊名：Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling
• 出版年：1996
• 出版时间：July 1996
• 年：1996
• 卷：36
• 期：4
• 页码：629 - 636
• 全文大小：167K
• 年卷期：v.36,no.4(July 1996)
• ISSN：1549-960X

文摘

The use of molecular models to illustrate and explore phenomena inchemistry teaching is widespread.However, only one type of model is usually used, and not enoughemphasis is put on its meaning. Theadvantage of computerized molecular modeling (CMM) stems from theconvenience and simplicity of buildingmolecules of any size and color in a number of presentations. Toexpose chemistry teachers to the use ofCMM we developed a 14 h workshop on models. It consists of anintroduction to the model concept, usingvarious types of models (including CMM) and experiencing ways to usethem for illustrating chemicalstructure and bonding via team projects. This workshop has beenincorporated into pre- and in-servicetraining at the Department of Education in Technology and Science atthe Technion since 1994. As a finalproject, teachers were asked to plan a session of 1-2 lessons bybuilding a miniature database of moleculesalong with working instructions. The new methodology is based onusing CMM through a special booklet,designed in a constructivist approach. During 1995, it wasimplemented in three tenth grade experimentalclasses with two other classes serving as a control group.Overall, teachers' attitudes toward using molecularmodeling to improve chemistry teaching were favorable. The effectof using molecular modeling on students'understanding and constructing new concepts was investigated inrelation to chemical structure and bondingas well as to geometric and symbolic representation. In tworepresentative questions related tothree-dimensional molecule structure, the experimental group performedbetter than the control group.Students' attitudes toward the use of CMM have also been found tobe positive. Most of the studentsenjoyed using the new methodology and indicated it helped themunderstand concepts in molecular geometryand bonding.