Sensing learners

Different fields within chemistry have developed their own specialist forms of symbolism. Organic chemistry uses a range of symbols in representations that learners need to make sense of For example, minimal structural representation in organic chemistry (where stractiues may be extensive) uses a formalism that a fine represents two carbon atomic centres joined by a single covalent bond, and saturated with hydrogen except where shown otherwise. 

For students to make sense of the basic grammar of chemical equations they need to appreciate the concept of the chemical reaction. This, in turn, requires an understanding of the notion of chemical snbstance. Although these are basic concepts in chemistry, they are known to present difficulties to many learners. 

Educationists usually place the emphasis on the cognitive objectives of practical work. Of equal importance are however factors of the affective domain. Gott Mashiter (1991, p. 61) proposed that practical tasks should have within them the elements of motivation that stem from confidence in and a sense of ownership of the activity by the stndent . Motivation, however, requires not only a measnre of self-directedness by the learner but also interesting and exciting experiments (Hodson, 1996). 

Audio Aids In this type of aids fall the teaching aids like radio, tape recorder etc. This type of aids help the process of learning as they help the learner to acquire knowledge through his auditory senses. 

Visual Aids This type of aids are very common e.g. charts, pictures, models, film strips etc. These aids the learner to acquire the learning experiences through his visual senses. 

Audio-visual Aids These are sensory aids which help to make teaching concrete, effective and interesting. Examples of this type of aids are television, motion picture, video films, living objects etc. By use of these aids we provide the learner an opportunity to utilise both his auditory and visual senses for gaining the desired learning experiences. 

In Chap. 2 student s misconceptions and strategies for overcoming them will be discussed in the sense that young people have mostly observed their environment in a right and proper way, that they are not responsible for their mistakes . An expansion on this idea will be presented that - besides the known preconcepts - there are also school-made misconceptions which arise in advanced science courses and which do not stem so much from the learners but rather from the teachers and the textbooks or from the specific complexity of some subjects. 

The range and sophistication of the scientific models used by chemists to make sense of chemical bonding is one factor which contributes to learners finding this topic difficult. Many of the ideas used to understand chemical bonds would not be accessible at an introductory level. Instead, curricula models need to be used which simplify the topic (Gilbert, 1998). Ideally learners will develop their tool kit of bonding concepts as part of their progression in learning about the subject (Taber, 1995). 

The Individualist as a Facilitator As a facilitator, the individualist has a hard time. He will have to focus his attention on the interaction process among learners, and, in a sense, act as an expert in group dynamics. The individualist tends to feel uncomfortable in this position, and he will easily fall back in the old role of the expert providing the answers. It is not so much that the individuahst is incapable of fulfilling this task he will probably not enjoy doing it. 

Despite all the safety precautions taken on construction sites to prevent injury to the workforce, accidents do happen and you may be the only other person able to take action to assist a workmate. This section is not intended to replace a first aid course but to give learners the knowledge to understand the types of injuries they may come across in the workplace. If you are not a qualified first aider limit your help to obvious common-sense assistance and call for help, but do remember that if a workmate s heart or breathing has stopped as a result of an accident they have only minutes to live unless you act quickly. TTie Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 and relevant approved codes of practice and guidance notes place a duty of care on all employers to provide adequate first aid facilities appropriate to the type of work being undertaken. Adequate facilities will relate to a number of factors such as ... 

Individual learners review personeil euid group reflection to generate appreciation of how and what they have learned, and a sense of what they still need to leam ... 

What wider or general sense or reality does this content exemplify and open up to the learner What basic phenomenon or fundamental principle, what law, criterion, problem, method, techniqne, or attitude can be grasped by deaUng with this content as an example ... 

Other self-report measures, such as inventories and questionnaires, help students to develop a sense of themselves as learners and future engineers. Asking students to reflect on their learning experiences helps them to see more clearly the connections among the concepts they have learned, as well as the applications of these concepts to new situations. When reflections are combined with portfolios that include samples of students work, they serve as useful tools for assessing individual student achievement and evaluating programs overall. 

Student self-report data indicate high student satisfaction with the design-implement experiences and workspaces that promote a sense of community among learners. 

This pure sense is produced through a reorientation of thought following its initial disorientation (Bogue, 2004, p. 341), forcing the learner to encounter the new. 

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