Editorial
Science Illiteracy – Constructivism – Misconceptions – Historical Sensitivity [In Bulgarian]
Absract. Volume 23 (2014) of Chemistry: Bulgarian Journal of Science Education begins with the present issue. The editorial policy during the year is described in this article. In our opinion the key problems of the contemporary Bulgarian education are: the students/people science illiteracy; the necessity to accept and apply constructivist practices in teaching and learning in the Bulgarian school; the necessity to exhibit the variety of misconceptions/misunderstandings in textbooks and the other basic normative documents; the effort to cultivate a historical sensitivity of the students by humanizing the science curricula in Bulgarian schools. Manuscripts, examining these problems and proposing their effective solutions, are welcome.
Keywords: science education, science illiteracy, constructivism, misconceptions, historical sensitivity and competency
B.V. Toshev
Letters to the Editor
How to Motivate Pupils of 7th Grade to Learn [In Bulgarian]
M. Bozova, P. Bozov
Education: Theory & Practice
Education for Enhancing Scientific Literacy [In Bulgarian]
Absract. Nowadays the scientific literacy and key competences have become emblematic key words of the secondary school science education. This article explores the understanding of the meaning of scientific literacy concept in historical and international view. The measures for enhancing the scientific literacy of young people in USA and some European countries such as Great Britain, France, Finland and Bulgaria are outlined. Studies on Bulgarian science teachers’ perceptions of the development of scientific literacy in secondary schools depict that, in general, teachers are aware of the scientific literacy concept. They recognize the need of scientific literate population and consider the development of scientific literacy as one of the primary goals of their teaching. They view the realization of such a goal in improvement of the curriculum and science programmes of study through more experimental activities, real-life problems and key competences. Bulgarian draft-chemistry content standards and programmes seem to be structured on the basis of this approach.
Keywords: scientific literacy, secondary school science education, chemistry content standards
A. Tafrova-Grigorova
New Approaches
A Commentary on the Generation of Audience-Oriented Educational Paradigms in Nuclear Physics
Absract. This paper presents the outline and description of simple steps for creating new teaching paradigms targeting specific audiences, in the field of nuclear physics education. The presentation encompasses a commentary on the complete procedure for the generation of knowledge, from the choosing of the topic until the final stage of publication. Each of the steps is explained by the use of several practical examples, with the intention to provide a better understanding of the described approaches and useful recommendations to overcome the associated difficulties intrinsic to the overall process.
Keywords: nuclear physics, exact sciences, teaching techniques, didactic method
B. Herrera-Gonzalez
Curriculum Matters
Some Strategies for Motivation Students to Learn Chemistry [In Bulgarian]
Absract. This work attempts to summarize and suggest practical solutions to enhance students’ motivation in chemistry, which are related to the nature, structure and presentation of subject matter. Discussed are two primary solutions to the problem: direct and indirect. The first approach aims to promote intrinsic motivation by engaging the attention, curiosity and interest of students, as well as to demonstrate the individual’s significance and the applicability of knowledge and learning in chemistry. This is achieved through strategies for selection and presentation of the educational material: novelty and mystery, entertainment, human characteristics, useful and intrinsic value, personalization and variability. The second approach aims to increase students’ motivation to learn by rendering chemistry education more accessible, clear, specific, tangible and engaging. This is accomplished by the following strategies: connections to experience, moderate difficulty, using controversies, questions and tasks, clear objectives, structuring, planning and concreteness. In addition to the strategies, this work describes techniques for their implementation in practice and includes examples from chemistry education.
Keywords: intrinsic motivation, motivation for learning, strategies, chemistry, subject matter
A. Gendjova
Curriculum Matters
Increasing Students’ Interest in Chemistry with Context-Based Approaches for Control and Assessment in English Language Program in Medical University in Varna
Absract. In the Department of Chemistry, University of Varna, Bulgaria, students of the English language course are thought for 5 years. There was a need for adaptation of chemistry curriculum to the needs and requirements of the new students. Recognizing that a graduate in chemistry has knowledge that is necessary for understanding of chemical principles applied in further study subjects, a context- based approach is used in chemistry practice and lectures. Increasing the students’ interest to chemistry as a preclinical discipline aims to motivate their curiosity and help them learn. Based on the Bloom’s taxonomy we suggest the students 6 types of tasks for the laboratory and seminar works. We use the tasks for control as well as for assessment. Using a well-known guideline, students perform the seminar and practical work and get used to follow instructions, an approach often used in the physicians’ practice. The topic “Amino acids†is proposed as an example how the experimental procedure is compared to a clinical procedure.
Keywords: English language course, context-based approaches, tasks for control and assessment, guideline for performing seminar and practical works
Z. Peteva, D. Makedonski, M. Stancheva
Teaching Efficiency
Learning of Chemical Objects by Means of the Methods of Reflection in 6th Grade [In Bulgarian]
Absract. The article presents results from experimental investigation by methodology of reflective inquiry of chemical objects, conducted with students from Plovdiv and Sliven in the academic year 2012/2013. The methodology involves the use of active learning schemes in learning module „Chemistry “ on the school subject „Man & Nature“ (6th grade). It is assumed that students who are taught with our developed methodology will show better results than untrained students on criteria measuring their scientific literacy. For the purposes of the survey two students’ groups are formed – control and experimental ones. They are chosen at random by two independent samples of pupils (60 in each group) with similar results incoming testing for scientific literacy. Cognitive performance of trained and untrained students are established by outgoing testing for scientific literacy. The data show that the developed methodology provides good conditions to enrich the scientific literacy of students.
Keywords: аctive learning, reflective inquiry, scientific literacy
K. Kamarska, D. Uzova, M. Golesheva
Teaching Efficiency
Exemplary Model of Club Activity in School [In Bulgarian]
Absract. The article presents an exemplary model of club activities, suitable for the secondary schools in Bulgaria. The structure of the model is carefully described. The goals of such activities in school are formulated. Some useful recommendations to teachers are listed.
Keywords: cognitive interest, pedagogical model of club activities, key competences
P. Galcheva, A. Hineva
From the Research Laboratories
Purification of Aniline and Nitro-Substituted Aniline Contaminants from Aqueous Solution Using Beta Zeolite
Absract. Aniline and 2-, 3- and 4-nitro substituted anilines were readily adsorbed from aqueous solution onto Beta zeolite. All four molecules adsorbed according to Type I Langmuir adsorption with maximum uptake calculated to be approximately 100 mg g-1. At low adsorbate concentrations, both aniline and 3-nitroaniline were adsorbed in greater amounts than 2-nitroaniline and 4-nitroaniline. This variation in affinity was explained by differences in pKa values, which determined the strength and degree of attraction between the adsorbate and underlying zeolite substrate. The results show that zeolite acid strength can be studied by probe molecule adsorption in mild aqueous conditions using non-specialised laboratory facilities.
Keywords: wastewater purification, nitroaniline adsorption, zeolite
T.M. Albayati, A.M. Doyle
Personalities in Science
Analytical Chemistry in Bulgaria: Professor Dimiter Tsalev (Interview) [In Bulgarian]
B.V. Toshev
Personalities in Science
Professor Dimiter Klissurski at 80 [In Bulgarian]
N. Naydenov
Reviews
New University Textbook on Modern Physics [In Bulgarian]
Absract. The physics of 20th century – quantum physics and physics of condensed matter, is described in didactic manner by S. Ivanov and Y. Shopov in their recently published textbook titled “Bases of Modern Physicsâ€.
Keywords: modern physics, quantum physics, relativity, solid state physics
P. Ivanov
Archives
Teaching Science in the Bulgarian Schools for Girls (1897): Physics and Chemistry [In Bulgarian]
B.V. Toshev
