Foundations for Teaching Chemistry Chemical Knowledge for Teaching

Chemistry is a subject that has the power to engage and enthuse students but also to mystify and confound them. Effective chemistry teaching requires a strong foundation of subject knowledge and the ability to transform this into teachable content which is meaningful for students. Drawing on pedagogical principles and research into the difficulties that many students have when studying chemical concepts, this essential text presents the core ideas of chemistry to support new and trainee chemistry teachers, including non-specialists. The book focuses on the foundational ideas that are fundamental to and link topics across the discipline of chemistry and considers how these often complex notions can be effectively presented to students without compromising on scientific authenticity. Chapters cover: the nature of chemistry as a science the chemistry triplet substances and purity in chemistry the periodic table energy in chemistry and chemical bonding contextualising and integrating chemical knowledge Whilst there are a good many books describing chemistry and many others that offer general pedagogic guidance on teaching science, Foundations for Teaching Chemistry provides accounts of core chemical topics from a teaching perspective and offers new and experienced teachers support in developing their own ‘chemical knowledge for teaching’.

1. Introduction – the rationale for reading about ‘chemical knowledge for teaching’ 2. The nature of chemistry as a science 3. Reflecting the nature of chemistry in teaching 4. The chemistry triplet 5. The submicroscopic realm 6. Concepts in chemistry 7. The most fundamental chemical concept: substance 8. Pure substances: elements and compounds 9. The periodic table 10. Energy in chemistry and chemical bonding 11. Energy and chemical change 12. Contextualising and integrating chemical knowledge

Keith S. Taber is Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge, UK. He taught chemistry in secondary schools and further education before joining the Faculty of Education at Cambridge. He has undertaken research into chemistry learning and has written widely about chemistry education. He is a recipient of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Education Award.