Open Experimentation on Phenomena of Chemical Reactions via the Learning Company Approach in Early Secondary Chemistry Education

Katharina Beck; Torsten Witteck; Ingo Eilks

doi:10.12973/ejmste/75237

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Katharina Beck ¹, Torsten Witteck ¹, Ingo Eilks ¹

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¹ University of Bremen, Bremen, GERMANY

Abstract

Presented is a case study on the implementation of open and inquiry-type experimentation in early German secondary chemistry education. The teaching strategy discussed follows the learning company approach. Originally adopted from vocational education, the learning company method is used to redirect lab-oriented classroom practice towards a more cooperative mode of learning and instruction. In our interpretation of this method for chemistry education, an additional methodological element was implemented in order to create an atmosphere allowing a different style of experimentation. Our interpretation of the learning company idea seeks to motivate students to perform self-regulated and self-organized experiments within the sought after cooperative mode. This paper describes an example using the phenomena of chemical reactions as developed within a project of Participatory Action Research. It also provides insight into both teacher and student feedback, concluding by relating our findings to other examples using the learning company approach in chemistry education.

Keywords

chemistry education
cooperative learning
open experimentation
learning company
Participatory Action Research

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 6, Issue 3, 2010, 163-171

https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75237

Publication date: 21 Dec 2010

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How to cite this article

APA

Beck, K., Witteck, T., & Eilks, I. (2010). Open Experimentation on Phenomena of Chemical Reactions via the Learning Company Approach in Early Secondary Chemistry Education. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 6(3), 163-171. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75237

Vancouver

Beck K, Witteck T, Eilks I. Open Experimentation on Phenomena of Chemical Reactions via the Learning Company Approach in Early Secondary Chemistry Education. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2010;6(3):163-71. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75237

AMA

Beck K, Witteck T, Eilks I. Open Experimentation on Phenomena of Chemical Reactions via the Learning Company Approach in Early Secondary Chemistry Education. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2010;6(3), 163-171. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75237

Chicago

Beck, Katharina, Torsten Witteck, and Ingo Eilks. "Open Experimentation on Phenomena of Chemical Reactions via the Learning Company Approach in Early Secondary Chemistry Education". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2010 6 no. 3 (2010): 163-171. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75237

Harvard

Beck, K., Witteck, T., and Eilks, I. (2010). Open Experimentation on Phenomena of Chemical Reactions via the Learning Company Approach in Early Secondary Chemistry Education. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 6(3), pp. 163-171. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75237

MLA

Beck, Katharina et al. "Open Experimentation on Phenomena of Chemical Reactions via the Learning Company Approach in Early Secondary Chemistry Education". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 6, no. 3, 2010, pp. 163-171. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75237