Problem solving and cooperative learning in didactics of experimental sciences

Marco Falasca, Antonella Martini, Loredana Nota Angeleri
(ITIS “E. Majorana”, Grugliasco, Turin)

Paper of the national journal ‘La Chimica nella scuola’ (‘Chemistry in the school’)

Italian

In the paper the authors refer to their pluriennal experience in combining Problem Solving and Cooperative Learning methodologies for laboratory activities related to physical and chemical topics and addressed to students of compulsory school.
The authors report examples of experiments on three topics (solubility, homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures, chemical-physical transformations of the matter), proposed at three distinct conceptual levels for differently-aged students:
1) observation level for 6 to 11 years old pupils (1st degree of primary school);
2) interpretative level for 12 to 14 years old pupils (2nd degree of primary school) with an introduction to the particle model of matter;
3) deepening of the interpretative level for 15 to 16 years old pupils (1st degree of secondary school) with an introduction to the concepts of the symbolic representation of the matter.
Experimental Problem Solving proved to be a very useful tool for improving didactics of Sciences, particularly if it is combined with Cooperative Learning methodologies, where the student can play an active, aware role in the comprehension process.

The paper contains useful information for organizing experimental activities on physical and chemical phenomena in compulsory school. As far as the teaching methodologies are concerned, the suggested educational model is a long-term approach requiring the co-operation of all colleagues involved in the three levels of teaching of scientific topics. Even if the document is ten years old, the Cooperative Learning methodologies are actually followed by many teacher with good results.

This magazine is available on-line from 1999.

Dr.Marina Alloisio

Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale- University of Genoa

Researcher