Education, secondary Netherlands

Astrid M.W. Bulte is a researcher in science edncation, being since 1999 connected to the Freudenthal Institnte for Science and Mathematics Education at Utrecht University, The Netherlands. In her current position she focuses her research on the development and evaluation of authentic practice-based science units for secondary education. She contributes to the education of student - science teachers, teaching students how to communicate science issues. She takes a leading position in national curriculum developments. After she obtained her Master degree in Chemical Engineering Science in 1989, she completed her doctoral thesis in 1994 in the same subject at the same university. From 1994 till 1999, she was a teacher of physics and chemistry in secondary education. 

Marijn R Meijer is a part time PhD student at the Freudenthal Institute for Science and Mathematics Education at Utrecht University, The Netherlands. The object of his research is macro-micro thinking using stracture-property relations. He took a MSc in Chemical Engineering Science and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Chemistry and The Science of Public Understanding at The University of Twente. He is a teacher in both subjects for 11 years in secondary (high) school. He participates in several innovative projects related to recent developments on the chemistry curriculum in The Netherlands. 

Each of the contexts discussed above has left its marks on the chapter on acids and bases in most general chemistry textbooks, for example, in Chemie (1998), which is the most commonly used textbook for secondary education in the Netherlands. The chapter starts with an every day context tasting acids. Within the next two sentences the acid is subsequently a solution (vinegar), a substance (acetic acid), a solution of the substance (a certain concentration of acetic acid in water). The text continues by explaining the pH scale, and switches in the next sections to describe an acid as a particle, from which a proton can be removed. These examples show that the coherence within the chapter is rather problematic. Its structure is not a result of a well thought out pedagogical strategy. Instead, it is a... 

The third development we want to discuss concerns the gradual increase in the participation of students in general education. In 1863 secondary education in the Netherlands, like in most other European countries and the USA, was the privilege of a small social elite. As a result of gradual democratisation and increasing prosperity in society, participation in education grew until, in the second half of the twentieth century, practically all children went to secondary school. This implies that, in principle. 

We have presented possibilities for a curriculum with a new perspective on chemistry as well as on students, that is intended to be coherent, avoids overload and appeals to students interests. Discussions about this curriculum design with teachers are stimulating and positive so far. At this moment, we have little empirical evaluations on the feasibility of this design for a chemistry curriculum at secondary schools. However, in higher education a curriculum design based on thematic blocks, as represented in Figures 1 and 2, has successfully been used for many years in Denmark (Kjersdam Enemark, 1994), and also in the Netherlands (Peters Powell, 1999). 

Martin J. Goedhart is currently Associate Professor in chemical education at the Amsterdam Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Laboratory (AMSTEL) of the Uitiversity of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He has experience in teaching chemistry in vocational schools and at universities. He is presently involved in the traiiting of chemistry teachers and in research in science education. His research work is maiitiy directed to conceptual development in chentistry, both at the upper secondary and the university levels. 

Albert Pilot was appointed in 1996 as professor of curriculum development in IVLOS Institute of Education at Utrecht University, in 1998 also as professor of Chemistry Education in the Department of Chemistry of that university. His work is concentrated in the field of curriculum development in secondary school chemistry and in higher education, iimovafion processes and the use of information and communication technology in education. He studied Chemistry at Utrecht University in The Netherlands, with a major in analytical chemistry and a minor in educational research. His PhD was in 1980 on Learning problem solving in Science, more specific in Thermodynamics, at the University of Twente. 

In the foregoing we have tried to analyze conflicting images of the quality of lower secondary mathematics and science education in the Netherlands as appearing from two large-scale studies, TIMSS and ESIE. From this analysis a number of conclusions can be drawn, and some additional reflective comments made. 

Prof. Dr. Onno De Jong was a teacher in several secondary schools in the Netherlands, thereafter became chemistry educator and researcher at Utrecht University (The Netherlands), and finally was professor of chemistry education at Karlstad University (Sweden). He also worked as invited scholar at universities in South Africa, Malaysia, Australia and Taiwan. He has ongoing interest in bridging the gap between Theory (given in chemistry teacher courses) and Practice (in chemistry classrooms). 

Prof. Dr. Albert Pilot is professor emeritus of curriculum development and also professor emeritus of chemistry education at Utrecht University (The Netherlands). His research focuses on context-based chemistry education and professional development of science teachers. In recent years this involved the design and development of a new chemistry curriculum for the secondary school in the Netherlands. Professional development of teachers was a major component in this innovation project, planned for many years and involving all teachers in the chemistry domain. 

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