Running projects
Informative tutorial feedback
Promoting acquisition of knowledge in chemistry lessons
The PISA studies of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Europe (OECD) have been carried out since 2000. After the PISA shock, which clearly revealed the deficits of the German education system, politicians agreed on educational standards in which competency expectations for pupils were also formulated. These competence expectations are area-specific, i.e. linked to the relevant subjects. In the natural sciences, the competence areas of subject knowledge, knowledge acquisition, communication and evaluation were defined, whereby this project refers to the competence of knowledge acquisition, which is at the core of basic education in the natural sciences. (See Gehlen, 2016, p. 24).
Due to the importance of the above-mentioned competence, the question now arises as to which aspects of the teaching process can be used to promote it. One of these aspects is the feedback given in class by the teacher (hereinafter referred to as teacher) to
pupils on oral and written contributions. (Buhren, 2015, p. 11) One possibility is the use of the “informative tutorial feedback” model developed by Susanne Narciss. This is a multidimensional framework model designed to provide learners in the classroom with formative feedback and “tutoring information” related to their current learning status, which is intended to successfully regulate the learning process. (cf., Narciss, 2006, pp. 68-80)
Accordingly, the following research question arises: “How must informative
tutorial feedback during experimentation in chemistry lessons be designed in order to promote the competence of knowledge acquisition anchored in the curriculum of the state of Berlin, taking into account student-specific personality traits?”
The following research design was developed to answer this question: In the first step, a task framework was defined. Experiments in organic chemistry were chosen that could be carried out in a tenth grade class. In the second step, an error analysis was developed in collaboration with the pupils and the teachers, which was to serve as the basis for the creation of an ITF guide for the teachers during the experiment. In the third step, these guidelines will be tested in an intervention study during lessons.
The aim is not only to make experimentation in the classroom more individual and sustainable, but also to introduce students to ITF as a form of feedback and make it practically usable in the classroom.
Véronique Sandrine Dünkler
Influence of Personality on Learning Success in Chemistry Classes
Investigation of the influence of the personality traits openness and conscientiousness on learning success in chemistry lessons and their interaction with interest
Psychological research has shown that a person's personality and interests have a significant influence on their learning success. However, the extent to which these findings can also be transferred to learning in chemistry lessons is still unknown.
The doctoral project therefore investigates the influence of the personality factors openness and conscientiousness on learning success in chemistry lessons as well as their interaction with interest using the example of a digital learning environment with experiments.
The aim of the project is to gain a better understanding of learning processes in chemistry lessons in order to be able to provide learners with targeted support on this basis.
Arne Petter
Supported by: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
Contextualisation in chemistry lessons
Balancing motivation and cognitive load
This project addresses the question of how to present chemistry lesson content in a way that is interesting and motivating without overwhelming students. The educational concept of contextualisation has been firmly established in German chemistry lessons since 2004. It involves teaching subject content in the context of everyday life or social issues (e.g. the environment, health, technology). The aim is to promote scientific literacy among learners while also fostering interest and motivation, which are key factors for learning success.
Contextualisation of learning environments often involves embedding so-called 'seductive details' - information that is interesting, but not essential for understanding the subject matter. While these details are intended to motivate learners, they can also distract them from the subject matter due to additional cognitive load. This problem, or area of tension, is described in research as the seductive detail effect, and can be explained by cognitive load theory and the cognitive theory of multimedia.
The aim of our project is to find out:
• At what level of seductive detail do learners recognise a context in learning
materials?
• How many seductive details are necessary to create a motivating context in
learning materials with minimal cognitive load?
Lilly Bliesener
Supported by: The greenCHEM project is part of the T!Raum initiative by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
Critical Thinking in Higher Education
Fostering a 21st century skill in a graduated lab work course
Critical thinking is actively reflecting upon one’s own experience and knowledge and searching for necessary information in the process of inquiry. Shifting science teaching from the rote-passive-learning to using critical thinking skills as a primary component in facilitating learning, is necessary for inquiry-based learning and for making reasoned argumentation in science. This study focuses on a physical chemistry undergraduate lab course and aimes at examining whether cognitive prompts in the context of CT enhance students’ CT-skills and CT-dispositions. Cognitive prompts were added to the original laboratory manual of the course. The qualitative study was conducted within a pre- and post-experimental design using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) as dependent variables.
Lilian Danial
funded by "SALSA Graduate School" of the German Science Foundation (DFG)
GreenCHEM
The innovative transfer space for green chemistry in the capital region - Berlin
GreenCHEM is a multi-sectoral consortium of 29 partners united by one mission: to develop the sustainability impact of green chemistry for the benefit of the planet. To do so, we aim to transform the chemical industry into a circular economy based on renewable raw materials; this T!Raum initiative connects science and industry as well as other stakeholders. On its way to the market, it accompanies sustainable chemical innovations from the idea to implementation, from the first experiment to industrial production. GreenCHEM aims to establish an ecosystem for green chemistry innovations in the capital region of Berlin that is financially self-supporting, achieves a measurable sustainability impact and has European appeal.
Goals and transfer approach
The team develops, tests and optimizes innovative and tailor-made transfer formats in order to implement them in five different target areas: "research push", "industry pull", "teaching", "further education" and "stakeholders". One of the central guiding principles is to take an integrated view of the target areas and always work in an interdisciplinary manner.
In the area of teaching, we aim to fundamentally redesign the course of study in the field of green chemistry. Technical skills are to be combined with entrepreneurial skills and transfer skills. The transfer formats will cover the training of future teachers as well as the teaching content of Bachelors and Masters degree courses and the training of doctoral students.
Another education area is the "further training" of industry representatives with regard to innovative technological content and collaborative innovation approaches. By increasing the level of knowledge and experience, an increased openness towards transfer formats is to be achieved, thus generating positive effects for "pull innovations".
Nikki Man
The greenCHEM project is part of the T!Raum initiative by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
Model-eliciting activities in Chemistry Education
A stimulating environment to think and learn in and with models
Model-Eliciting Activities (MEAs) are understood in the field of mathematics and technology didactics as tasks in which students independently design, test and revise models as a team in order to solve problems. Here, the use of mental models plays a decisive role in successful processing. The students have to actively deal with a realistic problem and go through several phases of problem solving.
In this project, an MEA on a chemical content area is developed and tested with students. Using the example of ocean acidification, the students will investigate the relationships between the carbon dioxide content of the air, the pH value of the oceans and the effects on the marine ecosystem. Both the transformation into a chemical context and the quality of the solutions and models created will be examined using a mixed-method approach and qualitative content analysis.
Lisa Bering
Organizing Self-Regulated Learning with AI
"Studium" - Studium: A Generative AI-Driven Learning Platform
The web App "Studium", redefines learning by harnessing the power of cutting-edge generative AI. This project go beyond a static feature set, offering a constantly evolving suite of tools that personalizes the learning experience for every student and teacher. This isn't just about AI, though. Studium fosters a dynamic learning environment where you can choose your preferred learning approach and language.
Unleash your creativity with advanced note-taking and presentation tools, leverage the built-in AI assistant for ongoing guidance, and streamline workflows with automation features. Collaborate seamlessly with built-in Miro boards, fostering teamwork and knowledge sharing in a stimulating environment.
"Studium" empowers self-regulated learning by recognizing that every student has unique learning journey and cognitive strengths. That's why the project provides a customizable toolbox that allows the student to take charge of your learning.
We are actively researching the impact of "Studium". We want to see how this unique blend of generative AI, traditional features, and customization options empowers students to create their own personalized learning environment. Our goal is to assess how effectively "Studium" helps students understand concepts, motivates them in the learning process, and ultimately allows them to achieve their academic goals.
Smita Singh
"MINT-Town" - Critical Thinking Trainings
Fostering critical thinking by a gamification approach
We develop and validate (in a quantitative study) a modern, game-oriented, digital learning environment (“MINT-Town”) to foster two of the 21st century skills - critical thinking and problem solving - in the context of STEM education. The embedded gamification elements (i.e. quests, dialogs, avatars) increase the students’ engagement to work on complex problems.
The game consists of two parts: 1) the tutorial, and 2) the chemical part.
In part one, the player is confronted with a general STEM oriented problem situation; he has time to learn the basic controls of the game and several critical thinking subskills while the questline leads him through the problem-solving process.
In part two, the player has to transfer the acquired abilities to a specific chemical context.
The game is free to use at LehrerOnline:
https://www.lehrer-online.de/unterricht/sekundarstufen/naturwissenschaften/chemie/unterrichtseinheit/ue/mint-town-spielbasierte-foerderung-von-kritischem-denken-in-der-chemie/
Christian Dictus
Supported by "Deutsche Telekom-Stiftung"