Amanda Mota and Maisa Helena Altarugio (Faculty of Education, Federal University of ABC, Brazil)
Jailson Lima (Chemistry Department, Vanier College, Montreal, Canada)
As part of a collaboration between institutions in Brazil and Canada, a series of interventions were designed to spark students’ imaginations in a senior high-school chemistry course taught by Amanda Mota in a private school in São Paulo, Brazil.
Polymers, a class of natural or synthetic large molecules composed of repeating groups, was the selected course topic for the first creative lesson. Since polymers are composed of multiples of simpler chemical units (monomers) that repeat in a pattern, it was suggested that the starting point of the activity be a visual link between polymers and Saint John’s flags, a common decoration used throughout Brazil in the month of June to celebrate Saint John’s day.
From this starting point, students were invited to create visual representations of polymers using simple, recyclable materials. Their creative journey evolved in different directions, which is an expected feature in assignments of this sort. In this blog entry, focus is placed on the teacher’s experience. Amanda’s testimonial is laid out in the next paragraphs and addresses the doubts, struggles, and fears, as well as her process of navigating and discovering the strengths and weaknesses of this pedagogical approach.
“For a layperson, the link between creativity and art is more evident than the link between creativity and science. There is a prevalent misconception that science and scientists are surrounded by certitude and exactness, with little room for subjectivity and imagination. Exploring the roles of creativity and imagination in science teaching is a new experience for me. Such an approach is often neglected in undergraduate-level courses as well as in professional-development programs designed for educators.
“I have been a high-school teacher for almost six years. Throughout my career, I have noticed that students usually perceive chemistry as a difficult subject, which reinforces common stereotypes and hinders their interest in the field. I have always searched for alternative approaches to teaching to transform their learning experience by motivating and engaging them through the exploration of the wonders of chemistry in their daily lives. My master’s program at the Federal University of ABC gave me a first contact with pioneering works that explore creativity and imagination in learning. For the last year, with the invaluable help of Prof. Maisa Helena Altarugio, my thesis advisor, and Prof. Jailson Lima, I have developed some class activities that explore creativity, imagination, and playfulness. This novel approach triggered a reflection on my teaching practice in a metacognitive fashion where my previous views were challenged and reevaluated.
“The first activity involved the creation of molecular models by using simple materials such as colored paper, watercolors, string, and Play-Doh to represent the monomers found in polymeric structures. The second activity started with a review of chemical bonding, molecular shape, and polarity. Then, students read an article from the World Health Organization website that introduces small molecules that are harmful, such as ammonia, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide. In the activity, students represented the molecular structure of these compounds using Play-Doh and watercolors.
First activity developed by students
(A) polytetrafluoroethylene; (B) polystyrene; (C) low density polyethylene;
(D) polyvinyl chloride; (E) and (F) polyisoprene
Photos by Amanda Mota
“During the planning phase, I worried about students’ lack of engagement since I held the mistaken belief that playful activities of this sort were only suited for young children. However, I witnessed a positive response from most of my high-school students and was able to see how this approach can contribute to their physical, emotional, and intellectual development, regardless of the stage of schooling.
“I was also concerned whether the time allotted to these class activities could compromise covering the extensive content of the course syllabus, something that the school administration considers paramount for preparing students for university entrance exams. I learned that it is crucial to organize the groups prior to the activity so that student interactions in class could be more productive. Proper planning involved engaging students in pre-class group activities so that they came to class prepared to tackle the creative assignment collectively, which minimized the waste of class time.
“In creative environments, the teacher needs to facilitate and support students. The teacher’s role in this learning strategy is more like a guide on the side than the traditional sage on the stage. In this framework, guiding their work without interfering with their imagination and creativity became a big challenge for me since at first, they felt insecure working on their own, without my micromanaging their interactions. The use of technology, such as the Jamboard platform, allowed them to share their ideas instantaneously, which served as an effective catalyst to activate their creative side by crosspollinating multiple forms of representation.
“When students gained confidence and became more autonomous and self-regulating, it was evident to me that they were having fun by expressing their ideas freely. At that point, as the level of noise and energy in the classroom reached its peak, I was afraid that I would lose control of the group to stay focused on the task. This is a common fear of teachers in schools where students are asked to merely reproduce the content by following traditional approaches based on transmission of information. In this kind of environment, noise and talk are seen as disruptive behaviors that must be eliminated from the classroom.
“After the completion of the two activities, I understood that it is possible to learn conceptual scientific knowledge by sparking students imaginations and developing their creativity. From the students’ feedback, strategies of this kind contribute to a better understanding of the conceptual framework that is associated with submicroscopic dimension such as molecular structures. Moreover, working in groups to create something offers them the chance to learn without the stress that is associated with traditional summative assessments. In conclusion, these innovative approaches have the potential to achieve important gains in conceptual learning by transforming teaching practices so that students feel that they are empowered and active participants in constructing their own knowledge.”
Original article link (in Portuguese): https://tinyurl.com/mu249vxz
Second activity developed by students
(A) nitrogen dioxide; (B) carbon dioxide; and (C) ammonia.
Photos by Amanda Mota
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