Chemistry teachers’ role in changing practical work from “hands on” activities to “minds on” activities
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Date
2015-07
Authors
Ituma, Monica Gakii
Twoli, N. W.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
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Abstract
Practical work is important in the effective learning of Chemistry. In most Kenyan secondary
schools practical work mainly involves ‘hands on’ activities where learners follow laid down
procedures to arrive at a predetermined outcome. This may lead to working without much
thought of the actions and thus low conceptualization resulting in poor performance in
chemistry at the end of the course. This study aims at providing alternative approach on how
to engage the learners’ mind more in practical activities. Data was collected through
observations of practical lessons, followed by analysis of instructional materials used by
chemistry teachers and questionnaires for the chemistry teachers. The findings showed that
the strategies used to teach practical work did not adequately focus on the learners’ ‘minds
on’ the activity. The teachers, therefore, require design and resource support for the
implementation of learner-centred investigative practical work in secondary school chemistry.
Keywords: Instructional Materials, “Minds On” Practical Activities, Practical Investigations
Description
Presentation
Keywords
Instructional Materials, “Minds On” Practical Activities, Practical Investigations
Citation
Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Education. Nairobi, Kenya: Kenyatta University, July 14-16, 2015