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The signature pedagogy in chemistry education

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 education

The signature pedagogy in chemistry education

Laboratories are the signature pedagogy in chemistry education.
The chemical sciences are based in investigations that are
reproducible, and objectively testable. Some investigations
might involve testing a hypothesis, such as carbonates produce
carbon dioxide gas when reacted with acid. Other activities may
not have an obvious hypothesis – how much salt is in this
detergent package? Nevertheless, laboratory work is a
distinctive part of science generally, and of chemistry in
particular.
Computer simulations, dry labs and workshops are some
alternatives to learning in the laboratory, but these other
activities cannot replicate the full experience of laboratory
work. For example, they cannot replicate the development of
manipulative skills required to use glassware, such as the fine
motor skills needed to adjust a burette tap to a very slow drip,
or lifting just one minute crystal on the tip of a spatula, or
folding a fluted filter paper for filtration.
Although we try to have reproducible results, this is not
always the case in school or undergraduate laboratory work:
stock bottles get contaminated, the incorrect amount of reagent
is used, an essential step is omitted; the temperature is too low
because the students keep opening the oven door; unexpected
things happen.
Computer simulations and textbook pictures are exemplars of
what should happen and how things should look; they give
little indication of the variability of observations, or the
sometimes-subtle differences between a positive and negative
outcome. Computer simulations and textbook pictures do not
teach what reality can look like.
Hands-on investigations enable students to learn by doing.
When my son was 3 years old, Jonathan declared that he could
drive the car – after all, from the safety of his child seat, he
could see the driver’s hand and foot movements! But practice is
more then just watching, or listening, or reading. If learning
was that simple, then we would all be trapeze artists,
Masterchefs and expert house renovators, just by watching
reality TV!
Laboratory work is a significant part of working in the
chemistry profession. The Australian Curriculum: Science has
Science as a Human Endeavour (SHE) as one of its three
strands. Some of SHE looks at the day-to-day work of scientists,
including chemists. Not just the revolutionary discoveries that
go in the history books, but the human aspect of just going to
the workplace as a scientist – our everyday activities, including
laboratory work. The best way for students to learn what
scientists do is to do what scientists do.
Science Inquiry Skills (SIS) is another of the three strands in
the Australian Curriculum: Science. SIS includes non-laboratory
skills such as research, communication, analysis and
interpretation of data. However, a significant part of SIS is
designing and conducting laboratory investigations, including
the procedure to be followed; the materials required; using
equipment and techniques safely, competently and
methodically; risk assessments; and considering research ethics.
The only way to conduct a laboratory investigation is to get
into a laboratory and to do it.
Laboratory work may not the only part of our discipline
practice, but it is definitely a distinctive and significant part of
chemistry. In these days of cost-cutting and virtual reality, we
must profess again that learning and doing chemistry in a
laboratory is an important and irreplaceable part of a chemistry
education.
Kieran F. Lim ( ) FRACI CChem
(kieran.lim@deakin.edu.au) is an associate professor in the School
of Life and Environmental Sciences at Deakin University. He is a
member of the Alfred Deakin Research Institute.
The author acknowledges informative discussions on the nature of
laboratory work at the RACI/ChemNet Threshold Learning Outcomes
Workshop (Melbourne, July 2013), but notes that any mistakes or
misconceptions are solely his, and not those of the other workshop
attendees.

LTT-CIA-2013 April.pdf 2 5/04/2013 4:03:11 PM

K. F. Lim, "The signature pedagogy in chemistry education",

Chemistry in Australia, 2013, 2013 (September), 35.

You understand the benefits of workplace training - improved performance, greater staff
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chemistry
September 2013 in Australia

Isotopes:
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knowledge

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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Petroleum in polar regions • Petrol for light aircraft
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 editorial

The value of the visual

iStockphoto/t_kimura
Images are a topic of conversation during the
production of every edition of Chemistry in
Australia. We talk about choice of subject, size
and position, but more subtle considerations
come into play too.
Images can elucidate form, function and
perspective. In chemistry, where would we be
without the ability to illustrate structure? They
take us to places we otherwise couldn’t go:
inside the body, up close to a microorganism or
to the surface of Mars. For visual learners, a
complex process can often be rendered simple with
a few strokes of a pen. When trying to explain
EFTPOS to my eight-year-old, it was my illustration
that made the pennies drop.
Have you ever been attracted to a book by
its cover? Images offer a visual cue to content
– as a flag to get our attention or a teaser to
pique interest. They can emphasise a point in
text or make a wry comment about it. Images help
us to compare things, for example using scale. In a time-poor remembered better than words alone. A book I came across that
world, we often choose graphs and charts over tables and lists. referenced them discussed the importance of legibility of text
Unfortunately, such visual representations can be distorted to displays, including factors such as spacing, line length and
suit certain purposes, a trap for the unwary. font.
Images are powerful. They can be instructional, and convey You would assume that a more legible font would result in
or evoke emotion, and they give different messages to different better memory retention, but researchers at Princeton
people. Our brains prepare our own versions of an image, and University have found otherwise. Participants looking at a
we filter it through our own experiences, so the impression is fancier font had a harder time reading it, but they recalled
unique to each viewer. Images don’t face the problem of more than those who read the same text in a plain typeface
language barriers. (bit.ly/9gJkwZ).
Images are a historical record – whether of world-changing Comic Sans was the font of choice for physicist Fabiola
events or family memories – illustrating facts or encouraging Gianotti when she presented slides about the possible discovery
reminiscence. No one knew this better than Frank Hurley, who of the Higgs boson last year. It caused quite a stir, including a
took significant risks to create and protect his photographs petition calling for the font to be renamed Comic Cerns.
during war and exploration. With images, we can capture and Something to think about next time you’re preparing course
then reflect on a moment in time, or document change with a notes or a conference presentation.
series of snaps. Frans Hofmeester‘s ‘Lotte time lapse’ is a
beautiful example (vimeo.com/40448182). Sally Woollett (wools@westnet.com.au)
Malcolm Fleming and Howard Levie’s research in
Thanks to the member who advised that the
instructional design and communication in the 1960s and 70s RACI National Chemistry Quiz is held in July,
at Indiana University showed that pictures alone are not August as stated in the July issue (p. 4).

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4 | Chemistry in Australia
The signature pedagogy in chemistry education (Note †)

Laboratories are the signature pedagogy in chemistry education. The chemical sciences are based in
investigations that are reproducible, and objectively testable. Some investigations might involve
testing a hypothesis – does a carbonate produce carbon dioxide gas when reacted with acid? Other
activities may not have an obvious hypothesis2 – how much salt is in this detergent package?
Nevertheless, laboratory work is a distinctive part of science generally, and of chemistry in
particular.3-7

Computer simulations, dry labs, and workshops are some alternatives to learning in the laboratory,
but these other activities cannot replicate the full experience of laboratory work. For example, they
cannot replicate the development of manipulative skills required to use glassware, like the fine
motor skills needed to adjust a burette tap to a very slow drip, or lifting just one minute crystal on
the tip of a spatula, or folding a fluted filter paper for filtration. Although we try to have
reproducible results, this is not always the case in school or undergraduate laboratory work: stock
bottles get contaminated; the incorrect amount of reagent is used; an essential step is omitted; the
temperature is too low because the students keep opening the oven door; unexpected things happen.
Computer simulations and textbook pictures are exemplars of what should happen and how things
should look; they give little indication of the variability of observations, or the sometimes-subtle
differences between a positive and negative outcome. Computer simulations and textbook pictures
do not teach what reality can look like.

Hands-on investigations enable students to learn by doing. When my son was 3 years old, Jonathan
declared that he could drive the car – after all, from the safety of his child seat, he could see the
driver’s hand and foot movements! But practice is more then just watching, or listening, or reading.
If learning was as that simple, then we would all be trapeze artists, Masterchefs and expert house
renovators, just by watching reality-TV!

Laboratory work is a significant part of working in the chemistry profession. The Australian
Curriculum: Science8 has Science as a Human Endeavour (SHE) as one of its three strands. Some of
SHE looks at the day-to-day work of scientists, including chemists. Not just the revolutionary
discoveries that go in the history books, but the human aspect of just going to the workplace as a
scientist – our everyday activities, including laboratory work. The best way for students to learn
what scientists do, is to do what scientists do.

Science Inquiry Skills (SIS) is another of the three strands in the Australian Curriculum: Science.8
SIS includes non-laboratory skills like research, communication, analysis and interpretation of data.
However, a significant part of SIS is designing and conducting laboratory investigations, including:
the procedure to be followed; the materials required; using equipment and techniques safely,
competently and methodically; risk assessments; and considering research ethics. The only way to
conduct a laboratory investigation is to get into a laboratory and to do it!

In summary, laboratory work may not the only part of our discipline practice, but it is definitely a
distinctive and significant part of chemistry.3-7 In these days of cost-cutting and virtual reality, we
must profess again9 that learning and doing chemistry in a laboratory is an important and
irreplaceable part of a chemistry education.

†
A slightly edited version of this article was published as reference 1. Please cite the original
publication: K. F. Lim, “The signature pedagogy in chemistry education”, Chemistry in
Australia, 2013 (September), 35.
EducCol-201309-laboratories-full.doc Page 1 of 2
 The author acknowledges informative discussions on the nature of laboratory work at the
RACI/ChemNet Threshold Learning Outcomes Workshop (Melbourne, July 2013), but notes that
any mistakes or misconceptions are solely his, and not those of the other Workshop attendees.

1 K. F. Lim, “Threshold learning outcomes”, Chem. Aust., 2013, 2013 (March), 35.
2 S. Jones, B. Yates and J.-A. Kelder, Science: Learning and Teaching Academic Standards
Statement, Australian Learning and Teaching Council, Strawberry Hills (NSW), 2011
<http://www.altc.edu.au/standards/disciplines/science%3E.
3 M. Schultz and J. M. Crow, “Networks: Networking for the next generation”, Chem. Aust.,
2012, 2012 (February), 38.
4 M. A. Buntine, “From the President”, Chem. Aust., 2013, 2013 (March), 28.

1 K. F. Lim, “Threshold learning outcomes”, Chem. Aust., 2013, 2013 (March), 35.
2 K. F. Lim, “Teaching the scientific method in the curriculum”, Chem. Aust., 2012, 2012
(April), 39.
3 M. R. Abraham, "What can be learned from laboratory activities? Revisiting 32 years of
research", J. Chem. Educ., 2011, 88, 1020–1025
<http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed100774d%3E.
4 L. B. Bruck, M. Towns and S. L. Bretz, "Faculty perspectives of undergraduate chemistry
laboratory: Goals and obstacles to success", J. Chem. Educ., 2010, 87, 1416–1424
<http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed900002d%3E.
5 A. H. Johnstone and A. Al-Shuaili, "Learning in the laboratory: some thoughts from the
literature", Univ. Chem. Educ., 2001, 5, 42-51
<http://www.rsc.org/pdf/uchemed/papers/2001/p8_johnstone.pdf%3E.
6 C. Hart, P. Mulhall, A. Berry, J. Loughran and R. Gunstone, "What is the purpose of this
experiment? Or can students learn something from doing experiments?", J. Res. Sci. Teach.,
2000, 37, 655-675.
7 R. T. White, "The link between the laboratory and learning", Int. J. Sci. Educ., 1996, 18,
761-774.
8 ACARA, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA),
Australian Curriculum: Science (F-10),
<http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/Curriculum/F-10%3E, 2011 (accessed
April 2011).
9 H. A. Rowland, "The Physical Laboratory in Modern Education", Science, 1886, 7, 573-
575.

Kieran F Lim ( ) FRACI CChem <kieran.lim@deakin.edu.au> is an associate professor in the

School of Life and Environmental Sciences at Deakin University. He is a member of the Alfred
Deakin Research Institute.

EducCol-201309-laboratories-full.doc Page 2 of 2

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