Jan 7 2010
DuPont is working with the Delaware Department of Education to launch a new chemistry curriculum for high schools next fall. A Natural Approach to Chemistry workshop recently introduced it to 60 high school chemistry teachers.
Tom Hsu demonstrates a new approach to chemistry to Delaware teachers and students.
Tom Hsu, a recognized U.S. leader in teacher training and an innovator in science equipment and curriculum, moderated the workshop and developed A Natural Approach to Chemistry.
"Chemistry, which is integral to the evolution of DuPont, is used to explain how the natural world builds and renews itself," said George Lahm, DuPont Fellow. "We must learn through chemistry how to protect the natural world. This new curriculum will stimulate interest in chemistry and encourage students to study it further."
Building on a foundation of physics, A Natural Approach to Chemistry takes a fresh look at how chemistry is used inside and outside the laboratory today. In this program, quantitative chemistry experiments use only non-toxic chemicals that can be disposed of easily. Reading and math levels are appropriate for grades 10-12.
A Natural Approach to Chemistry uses the "Five-E" learning model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate). Concepts progress from hands-on observation in the lab (engage, explore), to conceptual understanding of what happened (explain, elaborate) and, finally, to rigorous quantitative analysis (evaluate).
This approach teaches problem-solving and critical-thinking skills more effectively than the "theory-followed-by-verification" model used traditionally. The labs use a hands-on, guided-inquiry approach to build student understanding. Examples throughout the course emphasize the importance of chemistry in the human body, the environment and in the laboratory.