ESS 712

Assignment 2

Teaching Chemistry in Context: Using

Issues-based and Community-based
Approach

By. Ulfa Rahmi

211077007

Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1
Rationale ....................................................................................................................................................... 1
Example of learning chemistry in context .................................................................................................... 3
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 4
Reference ...................................................................................................................................................... 5
Appendix ........................................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Teaching Chemistry in Context: Using
Issues-based and Community-based
Approach
Introduction
Currently, in Indonesia particularly in Aceh, most teachers are using content-based instruction.
This is happening because teachers emphasize a wide range of topics in the written curriculum
to prepare students for the standardized assessment. As a consequence, most teachers teach
superficially and seem to forget the main purpose of teaching science, that is, to make students
scientifically literate. Additionally, students are disenchanted with science and find it
unimportant, un-engaging, and irrelevant to their life (Rennie, 2006).

New research has confirmed that teaching science contextually is more effective in order to
make students scientifically literate as they can build a relationship between context and
concept. Hence, this paper will discuss how contextual learning could benefit students in
making meaning about the knowledge. Additionally it will present as example of learning
chemistry in context by using an issues-based approach and a community-based approach.

Rationale
Many students view and experience chemistry as a difficult subject to understand. This is
because chemistry has a lot of abstract concepts with its technical terms which are very difficult
for the students to relate with their everyday life. The situation is aggravated since most
teachers tend to use a “chalk and talk” or “drill and practice” instruction. As a result, the
knowledge that the students receive is overloaded yet superficially understood and isolated as
they are unable to give meaning to what they have learnt. This situation could lead to low
engagement in classes and the forgetting of material afterward. Lack of relevance also could be
the case where the students can solve problems only if it is presented in the ways they were
taught and lack of transfer where the students are unable to relate the concept with the real
life context (Gilbert, 2006). Also, the emphasis on “solid foundation”, “correct explanation” and

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“scientific skill development “ seems to be inadequate emphasis since science should be more
focused on the development of scientific literacy (Pilot & Bulte, 2006:1088).

Context-based learning is considered as solution of the unsatisfactory outcomes of traditional

school science. It is believed that teaching in context will give students a clear understanding on
the canonical science concept. Teaching contextually is not about teaching the chemistry
content and then providing real application but it is about using the real situation that can be
explained by the use of chemical concept (Corrigan & Rodriguez, n.d). It is expected that the
recognizable context could attract students’ attention and the desire of finding out the
phenomena will drive the “need-to-know” stimulus for understanding the chemical concept
(Bulte, Westbroek, Jong & Pilot, 2006:1063; Gilbert, Jong, Justi, treagust & Driel, 2002). Hence,
an issues-based and a community-based approach will be used as the way of teaching the
chemical concept contextually.

It is a human nature that when faced with controversial issues in society, we tend to have
discussions in seeking explanations. Similarly, students are more interested in learning
chemistry when they are given an issue or problem that they can relate to. An active learning
approach which places science content within a social context in a way that supplies both
motivation and the ownership of learning to the student is known as issues or socio-scientific
based approach (Pedagogy in action, 2010). With this approach, students might find the issues
raised by the teachers are personally relevant and socially shared and might be in conflict with
one’s existing conception. Compared to the conventional instruction that uses a closed
question and often works in isolation, the question that is raised by the teachers in the socio-
scientific approach is an open-ended one which requires the students to explain the problem by
using a conceptual understanding and evidence. Generally, this approach requires cooperative
learning which could promote students communication skills, scientific problem-solving and
socio-scientific decision-making skills (Holbrook, 2005). Wongsri and Nuangchalerm (2010) also
explain that by learning using socio-scientific, it could increase learning achievement as
students could understand the conceptual knowledge, analytical thinking and moral reasoning.

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Since it involves cooperative learning, it is in line with the socio-cultural perspective. In this
perspective, the knowledge and understanding are constructed when a person engages socially
in activities and conversation about shared problems or tasks (Driver, Asoko, Leach, Mortimer,
Scott, 1994). Cooperative learning not only happens among the students, but it also involves
teachers and others elements of community. Hence in this situation, a community link should
be included. Community link or the ‘community-based approach’ is a learning process where
students are exposed to the real community situation such as institutions, organizations and
industrial companies (Rennie, 2006). In chemistry, visiting an industry could provide a
meaningful learning experience as the students could see the real application of chemistry
concept (Corrigan & Rodriguez, n.d.). In brief, using experiences in the community could
increase students’ engagement and interest as they perceive chemistry is relevant and
worthwhile to their life. Additionally, it could develop and practice the skill of the students
which could contribute to a scientific (chemistry) literate citizenry.

Example of learning chemistry in context

In order to have meaningful learning, the stimulus of need-to-know is important. It is obvious
that teachers’ creativity is crucial in implementing this approach and becomes a special
challenge for them (Schwartz, 2006). Teachers need to find out the community issues that
could attract student interest as well as building up students’ understanding of chemical
concept. Later, teachers will set-up a scenario containing issues and questions that teachers
want students to solve. In solving the problem, students then need some chemical concepts
and knowledge that they could get from the teachers or from the community. The community
contribution could help the students in making sense of the concept which could be done in
two ways: students go to the institution or the experts visit the school (see appendix 1). In
short, the community link is integrated in the socio-scientific issues approach.

An example of an issue that has currently emerged in Indonesia is “the use of Formalin and
Borax in food”. Students might already know the danger of these compounds as they hear from
media but they might not know that those issues contain a lot of science-chemical concepts. As
the teachers have already prepared the problem for the students to solve, the need-to-know

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stimulus will drive the students to learn the concepts. This is the time when the teachers teach
the concept related to the issues. For instance, teachers will explain about the chemical
structure, stochiometry, organic chemistry and additive substances which all relate to the
problem. Teaching chemistry, then, becomes “teach as a flow”, which means teaching the
concept that is needed to solve the problem. This method is more beneficial for the students as
they could understand the use of the concepts as well as knowing the relation between those
concepts (King, Bellocchi & Ritchie, 2008). Finally, in order to make chemistry concepts more
relevant, the next step is to bring the students to food industries that use additive substances
or invite the expert/chemist-analyst to the school (see learning sequence at appendix 2).

As already described above, clearly, this approach could benefit the students. The most and
foremost advantage is it could prepare the students to be scientifically literate citizen as well as
make the students remain interested and enthusiastic to science-chemistry. It also could
promote the opportunities for students to perceive science as a relevant subject to their life so
that the learning will be meaningful and long lasting (Rennie, 2006). Furthermore, teaching
chemistry in context could increase students’ skill in scientific problem solving and socio-
scientific decision making (Holbrook, 2005). However, there are some difficulties in
implementing this approach in Indonesia particularly in Aceh. Time constraints, insufficient
resources and knowledge of the teacher are the main factors that potentially inhibit the
implementation (Blake and Campbell, n.d). In Indonesia, time is really difficult to deal with as in
the Indonesian curriculum there are so many subjects and concepts that students need to
learn. Moreover, there is not enough scientific equipment to support the students in
conducting the investigation and also the insufficient knowledge of the teachers make it not
possible to implement this approach as the teacher could not act as a facilitator.

Conclusion
Teaching chemistry in context by using the integration of a community-based approach into
issues-based approach is an effective way of preparing the students to be scientifically literate
citizens. Using community issues that are known to the students will drive the need-to-know
stimulus of the students to learn the chemical concepts. As learning is happening better when it

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is socially shared, involving the community that relate to science will increase their
understanding. As a consequence, students are able to making-meaning of the knowledge and
relate the science concepts to their life. Also, teaching chemistry in context could increase
students’ skills in analytical thinking, problem solving, decision making and moral reasoning.

Reference

Blake, D & Campbell, C n.d. “Developing a rural and regional science challenge to utilize
community and industry-based partnership”, Deakin University

Bulte, AMW., Westbroek, HB., Jong, OD & Pilot, A 2006. “A research approach to designing
chemistry education using authentic practices as context”, International Journal of
Science Education, vol. 28, No. 9, pp 1063-1089, accessed on 6 February 2011 from
Routledge.

Corrigan, D & Ridriguez, S n.d. “Teaching Chemistry in Context: the risks and realities” accessed
on 6 February 2011 from
http://www.modelab.ufes.br/xioste/papers/xioste_paper020.pdf

Driver, R., Asoko, H., Leach, J., Mortimer, E. & Scott, P 1994. ‘Constructing scientific knowledge
in the classroom’, Educational Researcher, vol. 23, no. 7, pp 5-12, from American
Educational Research association, accessed on 24 January 2011.
Gilbert, JK 2006. “On the nature of context in chemical education”, International Journal of
Science Education,vol.28, no. 9, pp 957-976, accessed on 6 February 2011 from
Routledge.

Gilbert, JK., Jong, OD., Justi, R &Treagust, DF 2002. “Chapter 8: Context-based approaches to
the teaching of chemistry: what are they and what are their effects?”, Chemical
Education: Towards Research-based Practice, pp 165-184, Kluwer Academic Publisher.
Netherlands.

Holbrook, J 2005. “Making chemistry teaching relevant”, Chemical education International, vol.
6. no. 1. pp 1-12, Paper based on the lecture presented at the 18th ICCE, Istanbul, Turkey
3-8 August 2004, accessed on 7 February 2011 from
http://old.iupac.org/publications/cei/vol6/06_Holbrook.pdf

King, D., Bellocchi, A & Ritchie, SM 2008. “Making connections: Learning and teaching chemistry
in context”, Research Science Education, vol. 38, pp 365-384, accessed on 31 January
2011 from http://www.springerlink.com.ezproxy-
m.deakin.edu.au/content/n43k22x243461m52/fulltext.pdf

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Pedagogy in Action, 2010. “What is socioscientific issues-based instruction?”, accessed on 7
February 2011 from http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/issues/what.html

Pilot, A & Bulte, AMW 2006. “The use of context as a challenge for the chemistry curriculum: Its
successes and the need for futher development and understanding”, International
Journal of Science Education. vol. 28, no. 9, pp. 1087–111, accessed on 6 February 2011
from Routledge.

Rennie, L 2006. “The community’s contribution to science learning: Making it count”, 2006-
Boosting Science Learning-What will it take”, ACEReSearch

Schwartz, AT 2006. “Contextualized chemistry education: The American experience”,

International Journal of Science Education, vol.28, No. 9, pp. 977-998, accessed on 6
February 2011 from Routledge.

Wongsri, P & Nuangchalerm, P 2010. “Learning outcomes between socioscientific issues-based

learning and conventional learning activities”, Journal of Social Sciences, vol. 6, no. 2, pp
240-243, accessed on 7 February 2011 from
http://www.scipub.org/fulltext/jss/jss62240-243.pdf

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Appendix
Appendix 1 Learning Sequence

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Appendix 2 Example of an issues-based learning