Making sense of models

Researchers have reframed how chemistry teachers’ pedagogy and students’ conceptual learning is supported. The researchers, Meng-Yang Wu and Ellen Yezierski from Miami University, focus on an underexplored aspect of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) called transformation. This mechanism converts subject matter knowledge (SMK) into enacted PCK (ePCK). Think of the transformation of SMK into ePCK as you thinking your way from your own understanding to the thought processes and motivations of learners.

The research introduces a conceptual framework called pedagogical chemistry sense-making (PedChemSense). This framework gives guidelines for teachers to transform their chemistry understanding into teaching practice. The resulting practice improves students’ chemistry sense-making and explanations.

PedChemSense requires the understanding of reasoning and sense-making from the perspectives of the teacher and their students. The researchers define pedagogical reasoning as teachers engaging their professional knowledge during lesson planning. Connecting different concepts together is student reasoning. Sense-making involves using scientific ideas and prior experiences to figure out complex phenomena. Pedagogical sense-making happens when teachers create uncertain moments in the classroom. You can plan which ambiguities and decisions students will encounter in a lesson and adapt to students’ emergina ideas in these uncertain moments.

The researchers also concentrate on the use of Johnstone’s triangle, which describes the relationships between the macroscopic, particulate and symbolic levels of chemistry. Sense-making occurs when students consider the limitations of each level. The researchers stress that teachers should incentivise students to evaluate the transitions between the levels of Johnstone’s triangle.