CHED 1613 |
| During a two-week informal camp focused on introducing middle school students to the big ideas of nanoscale science (the nature of matter, forces, etc.), students were engaged in activities including designing a scanning probe microscope model and solving a “crime” with nanoscience. Students were evaluated using both written pre- and post-camp tests and videotaped discussions. We observed several advantages of evaluation through small-group discussions, including evidence of continual student learning through the discourse of the group, student-driven correction of others' misconceptions, and increased student engagement in the assessment process. The discussions enabled us to gain insight into how students' thinking and reasoning changed during the camp. We will explore the advantages of using small-group discussions as a formative and summative instructional assessment technique in formal or informal settings. We will discuss how student responses were classified and evaluated, and how we tracked changes in reasoning. |
|
Advances in Teaching Chemistry at the Nanoscale at the K-12 Level
8:30 AM-11:35 AM, Tuesday, March 27, 2007 McCormick Place North -- Room N231, Level 2, Oral
Division of Chemical Education |