Developing a lesson plan on conventional and green pesticides in chemistry education – a project of participatory action research

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Zowada ◽  
Nadja Frerichs ◽  
Vânia Gomes Zuin ◽  
Ingo Eilks

The debate on the use of pesticides is very current in the public media when it comes to topics such as organic farming, bee mortality, and the use of glyphosate. The broad range of pesticide applications and their potential environmental impact makes pesticides an interesting topic for science education in general and for chemistry teaching in particular. This is particularly true when conventional pesticide use is contrasted with current chemistry research efforts to develop alternatives based on the ideas of green chemistry. This paper discusses the potential relevance of pesticides for chemistry education in connection with education for sustainable development. It gives a brief outlook on pesticides in science teaching and connects the topic to socio-scientific issue-based chemistry education. A case study which developed a lesson plan for secondary school students is presented here. It defines pesticides, before focusing on the development of green pesticides as potential alternatives to current products. The lesson is focusing learning about chemistry rather than learning of chemistry in the means that the lesson introduces quite young chemistry learners (age range 15–17) to ideas of green and sustainable chemistry and how green alternatives in chemistry can be assessed and compared to traditional alternatives. Video vignettes of a scientist are used to introduce the topic to students. Finally, both glyphosate as a conventional, industrial pesticide and orange oil as an example of a green pesticide are compared using spider chart diagrams. The lesson plan was cyclically designed by a group of ten chemistry teachers using participatory action research. It was piloted with the help of secondary school chemistry student teachers and then tested in five German secondary school classes (grades 10/11). The use of the spider charts was regarded as especially helpful by the learners, most of whom felt that they had been able to understand the controversy surrounding pesticides.

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Wójcik ◽  
Maria Mondry

This article presents Inkla, a youth participatory action research project initiated by secondary school students and supported by university researchers and students. The main goal was to help secondary school students explore intragroup relations in school classes and problems students may encounter as bullying or peer group exclusion. It was also intended to design practical methods to stop bullying and create supportive peer groups. A group of secondary school students became student researchers and conducted interviews in their school classes which resulted in including their peers and teachers in well planned and research-based collective action to prevent bullying and improve school life. Outcomes demonstrate that the student voice can support or change a school’s antibullying policy if the responsibility for bullying prevention is shared with students who are treated as agents of change. This article also describes the complex process of building participative relationships in youth participatory action research.


Author(s):  
Fiki Fitriyah ◽  
Yeny Fitriyani ◽  
Milna Wafirah ◽  
Achmad Labib ◽  
Titis Rosowulan

Tatanan Hidup Baru (New Normal) dimasa pandemi COVID-19 memberikan pengalaman yang benar-benar baru bagi dunia pendidikan khususnya siswa Sekolah Dasar (SD) di Indonesia. Kewajiban untuk taat protokoler kesehatan yang salah satu klausulnya adalah tidak berkerumun dan menjauhi krumunan menjadikan kegiatan belajar mengajar sangat tidak biasa. Tidak ada tatapmuka baik dengan guru ataupun teman, semua dilakukan secara daring (online). Hal tersebut membuat pelajar mempunyai waktu luang yang banyak dan cenderung tanpa pengawasan baik dari orang tua maupun guru. Tujuan pengabdian ini adalah untuk mengoptimalkan waktu luang siswa dengan manajemen waktu di masa normal baru. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini menggunakan metode Participatory Action Research (PAR). Tahapan penting dalam PAR adalah Research (pemetaan masalah), Action (rencana aksi dalam penyelesaian masalah) and Participatory (orang tua dan siswa SD di Desa Desekan). Teknik Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan observasi, survei, dokumen dan wawancara. Pendampingan diharapakan dapat membantu siswa memahami pentingnya manajemen waktu dengan membuat jadwal kegiatan harian sehingga siswa dapat memanage waktunya dengan efektif dan efisien. Kesimpulan dari pengabdian ini adalah para siswa belum memahami dengan baik mengenai manajemen waktu dan banyak menghabiskan waktu dengan dawai dan bermain yang tidak berhubungan dengan pendidikan. Kata kunci: Tatanan Hidup Baru, COVID-19, Manajemen Waktu, PAR ABSTRACT The New Living Order (New Normal) during the COVID-19 pandemic provided a completely new experience for the world of education, especially elementary school students in Indonesia. The obligation to comply with the Health protocol makes learning without face-to-face either with teachers or friends and everything is done online. This makes students have a lot of free time and tends to be without supervision from either parents or teachers. The aim of this service is to optimize students' free time with time management in the new normal. The method used in this study uses the Participatory Action Research (PAR) method. The important stages in PAR are Research (mapping problems), Action (action plans in solving problems) and Participatory (participation of parents and elementary students in Desekan village). The technique of collecting data was carried out by observation, surveys, documents and interviews. It is hoped that mentoring can help students understand the importance of time management by scheduling daily activities so that students can manage their time effectively and efficiently. The conclusion of this dedication is that the students do not understand well about time management and spend a lot of time with strings and games that are not related to education. Keywords: New Normal, COVID-19, Time Management, PAR


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 979-985
Author(s):  
Govinda Prasad Devkota ◽  
Sheri Bastien ◽  
Petter D. Jenssen ◽  
Manoj K. Pandey ◽  
Bhimsen Devkota ◽  
...  

Abstract Appropriate handwashing can prevent 50–70% of water and foodborne infections. However, schoolchildren who are in the formative stage of life, particularly in low-income countries like Nepal, are deprived of such a lifesaving skill. This study investigates the effectiveness of a school-based participatory action research intervention to promote handwashing with soap among basic level community school students in Nepal. Teachers, the school management committee, the participatory action research committee, and child-club members actively participated in designing and implementing the intervention. This study employed a semi-structured interview with the headteacher, five focus group discussions, and spot observations during 50 handwashing with soap events involving students, to collect the data. This study assesses the handwashing situation of students before and after the intervention. As part of the intervention, participatory teaching methods such as singing, drawing, showing a video, games, and demonstrations were used. Findings from basic level students who actively participated in hygiene sessions and increased their handwashing with soap before meals and after toilet use were used as a comparison to baseline. Participants reported that the intervention was perceived positively, pragmatic, and cost-effective. This intervention study concluded that handwashing behaviors improved because of the influence of sensitization sessions and demonstrations about handwashing. However, some predominant issues in the teaching of handwashing practices include limited hygiene contents in the curriculum and the practical use of teaching and learning activities. The lack of availability of soap at handwashing stations is the main barrier in sustaining handwashing behaviors in schoolchildren.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 415-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Venus E. Evans-Winters ◽  

Girls of color have been left out of discussions on youth participatory action research (YPAR) as well as gender- and race-based scholarship related to school marginalization. How Black girls and other girls of color experience girlhood is undertheorized. In this particular discussion, high school girls themselves expose the ways in which girls are punished in schools. Using participatory action research (PAR), high school students unveil girls of color experiences in schools as “dangerous bodies.” The author asseverates that Black girls and other girls of color “flip the script” by becoming conscientious and active agents in social change through the research process.


Author(s):  
Yannik Tolsdorf ◽  
Silvija Markic

The Participatory Action Research (PAR) model developed by Eilks and Ralle is very well known in science education. Over the years, many teaching and learning materials have been developed and implemented in German secondary schools using this method. The success of the model encouraged us to adapt it to the university level in order to develop university chemistry education courses. However, to do this, we encountered and conquered some challenges. The present paper is based on an advanced model of Participatory Action Research for developing university chemistry teacher training. For an advanced model, the focus is strongly on the extended development team, which contains people who were not part of the original team. The role of the students also changes. The ideas we used to further develop the model and implement it in practice will be described and discussed below.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivano Laudonia ◽  
Ingo Eilks

Chemistry is considered to be a difficult subject and chemistry education courses are not very popular among many students. Innovations in the curriculum and pedagogy may help to overcome difficulties in learning as well as motivational problems. Participatory action research (PAR) seems to be a suitable approach for developing such an innovation for the chemistry classroom. This paper reflects on the adoption of a PAR model to teacher-centered action research. A project is discussed aiming at iteratively improving lessons on chemical bonding in a Swiss vocational school. The lesson was focusing on self-determined, autonomous learning in small groups in a multimedia-supported learning environment to foster student motivation for learning. The project is based on the cooperation of a chemistry teacher and a PAR expert group of chemistry teachers operating far away from the school. The cooperation was implemented by synchronous and asynchronous digital communication. The lessons have been cyclically developed over three consecutive years of teaching. The findings from the current study indicate that the implemented practice of action research helped to both improve the teacher’s pedagogical repertoire for his chemistry lessons and contributed to the teacher’s continuing professional development in terms of better understanding how student-centered his lessons should be.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 232
Author(s):  
Khusnul Lusi Nursyam Syanas ◽  
Sulistyo Saputro ◽  
Nurma Yunita Indriyanti ◽  
Sri Mulyani

<p>The purpose of this research is to identify how lesson plans prepared based on socratic questions can improve critical thinking skills. Research method used is Participatory Action Research (PAR), data collection techniques through interviews and questionnaires. It is expected that the results of the research can be applied in schools specifically to produce lesson plans in colloidal learning integrated with TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge). The results showed the teacher gave a positive assessment of 85% on the socratic questions contained in the lesson plan. This will provide stimulants to students in order to able to argue and practice their critical thinking skills. Postgraduate student participants also gave a positive response of 87.5%. It can be concluded that both teacher participants and postgraduate students agree with the application of socrates questions to students because they have a positive impact on critical thinking skills. Thus, this initial stage of research can proceed to the next stage of PAR research.</p>


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-78
Author(s):  
Mareike Burmeister ◽  
Ingo Eilks

This paper describes the development of a course module on sustainability issues and Education for Sustainable Development in German pre-service chemistry teacher education. The module was inspired by empirical research findings about the knowledge base of student teachers. It was created and cyclically refined using Participatory Action Research. Experience gained during its three-year application will be reflected upon here, including feedback collected from student evaluation sheets. In the end, the participants responded extremely positively to the course. The student teachers stated that the module was interesting, relevant and valuable for their later profession as high school chemistry teachers. They also emphasised that they now felt more competent in the area of sustainability and ESD.


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