Department of Chemistry Education

The Department of Chemistry Education at the IPN examines how chemistry and science are learnt and taught in different educational institutions, such as kindergarten, school, and university, and also in out-of-school teaching and learning environments.

The structure and characteristics of scientific conceptual knowledge, scientific working methods, ideas about science, and the interest and motivation to get involved in science are just some of the topics that projects such as Ikon, DoLiS or EASI-Science deal with. These manifold science-related components and their interrelatedness are examined in different age groups and in specific learning groups, such as competition participants or trainees in technical or commercial fields (ManKobE).

Further projects examine the conditions of successful teaching and learning processes. This includes projects that investigate schools’ teaching and learning environments and their effects, e.g., ASSIST-ME, ELLSA and ViKom. There is also a series of research-based development projects in which teaching and learning environments are developed and researched, e.g., IRRESISTIBLE and MINT-einander. One of the focal points of the department is the conception, implementation and study of different out-of-school teaching and learning environments, such as student competitions (IChO, IJSO), school labs (KiFo), science-related (student) exhibitions, and outreach projects.

Further projects focus on the professional competency of teachers and educational experts, e.g., Keila, ViU, and EASI-Science. Alongside questions concerning the structure and development of this professional competency, the question of how to successfully support teachers and educational experts in the various phases of their training plays a central role. For this reason, further training for teachers is provided and examined, for example, in the context of the Bayer-Leibniz-Forschungsexpress (research express) or the project Transfer Science->School.