Chemical Education International, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2005 www.iupac.org/publications/cei Paper based on the lecture presented at the 18th ICCE, Istanbul, Turkey, 3-8 August 2004 MAKING CHEMISTRY TEACHING RELEVANT Jack Holbrook Secretary ICASE, Visiting Professor, Univ of Tartu, Estonia Consultant, Secondary Education Project, Bangladesh E-mail jack@bol-online.com Introduction Research has shown that chemistry teaching • is unpopular and irrelevant in the eyes of students (Kracjik et al., 2001; Osborne and Collins, 2001: Pak, 1997; Sjoberg, 2001; WCS, 1999; ICASE, 2003). • does not promote higher order cognitive skills (Anderson et al, 1992; Zoller, 1993). • leads to gaps between students wishes and teachers teaching (Hofstein et al. 2000; Yager and Weld, 2000; Holbrook and Rannikmae, 2002) • is not changing, because teachers are afraid of change and need guidance (Aikenhead, 1997; Bell, 1998; Rannikmae, 2001a). A factor common to all of the above seems to be the lack of relevance of chemistry teaching. Although school chemistry programs set out to develop conceptual understanding in students and an appreciation of the way scientists do things, the relevance of the teaching in providing a useful education is suspect (Pak, 1997; Yager, 1996; Champagne et al, 1985; Lederman, 1992; Novick and Nussbaum, 1981; Osborne and Freyberg, 1986; Ryan and Aikenhead, 1992). The stress on conceptual understanding and the appreciation of the nature of science tends not to be relevant for functionality in our lives i.e. relevant to the home, the environment, future employment and most definitely for future changes and developments within the society. Rather, the understanding tends to be geared to internal concepts within the subject itself. Concepts such as atomic structure, or chemical bonding are almost universally section headings in chemistry courses, yet in daily life, for example - improving the quality of the air for our health, is potentially a much more relevant starting point. Generalising, chemistry curricula tend to put the subject first, and applications a poor second. Forgotten is that relevancy is in the processes and products we utilise in society, and only afterwards in the understanding (should we wish to utilise scientific principles in solving a problem or making a decision). Thus, in terms of relevant conceptual learning, it would seem that current curriculum approaches are not providing the impetus to promote the popularisation of chemistry that is expected. It would seem we need to find ways to initiate teaching based on societal situations and then develop the conceptual learning that allows students to appreciate the relevance of the science (Holbrook, 1994). Relating chemistry to the developments in society is not new. Many so-called STS programs do this (Yager 1996, Lutz 1996). But while STS or context-based teaching programmes have included social values in the teaching, the relevance of the course is