Kira Padilla

Undergraduate Professors’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge: The case of ‘amount of substance’

This paper documents the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of four university professors in General Chemistry for the topic ‘amount of substance’; a fundamental quantity of the International System of Units (SI). The research method involved the development of a Content Representation and the application of Mortimer’s Conceptual Profile Model to evaluate the way in which participants structured their knowledge of the topic. Five conceptual profile zones were defined: perceptive/intuitive, empiricist, formalist, rationalist, and formal rationalist. These zones were then used as criteria to classify participants’ PCK as articulated in the framework of their Content Representations. As a consequence, four different conceptual profile graphs were constructed by plotting the percentage of times that each conceptual profile zone appeared. These conceptual profile graphs revealed the ways in which each professor conceptualised his or her teaching of ‘amount of substance’.

The relationships between PCK components: the case of quantum chemistry professors

The purpose of this paper is to capture the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of university professors about quantum chemistry. More specifically, we aimed to identify and analyze relationships between specific PCK components, using an adapted version of the model of PCK of Magnusson et al.. A sample of university professors (n=6) who teach quantum chemistry at undergraduate level was interviewed. Data analysis combined a quantitative and qualitative methodology. Relationships were found between components of the Magnusson model, in particular, between specific orientations to teaching science, and knowledge of instructional strategies. In addition, relationships were found between teachers’ knowledge of student learning, and their curriculum. In short, given their view that the learning of quantum chemistry presents many difficulties to students, most teachers combined a didactic view of teaching with an instructional approach focusing on problem solving. Taking the results of the study together, they explain what teachers do to teach quantum chemistry, and why, and therefore, the results help us to portray their PCK.

Heterogeneous nucleation on aerosol particles

We have applied density functional theory in statistical mechanisms to study the heterogeneous nucleation of supersaturated vapors on spherical aerosol-like substrates. Our calculations reveal the inadequacy of the classical nucleation theory in describing the condensation of droplets on very small particles. The latter approach is particularly inaccurate both at high supersaturations and in the vicinity of the wetting transition. Comparisons are also made with recent experimental results for the condensation of supersaturated vapors on submicrometer particles.

Creencias epistemológicas de profesores-investigadores de la educación superior

Abstract Several definitions of «beliefs» are presented first, trying to set clearly that there is not an accepted definition of this concept, which born in social psychology joined with another one: «attitudes» that was afterwards forced to be separated from «beliefs», by classifying «attitudes» as an affective construct and «beliefs» as a cognitive one. Then we proceed to relate beliefs with teaching, through some classical papers, as those of Bandura, Nespor, Pajares and Prawat, and to connect them with Pedagogical Content Knowledge, having selected for doing that the model of Magnusson et al. We proceed to the methodology of our study, by mentioning the sources of a questionnaire that has been constructed with twelve questions to document the epistemological beliefs of two professors of higher education dedicated to lecturing and research. The results are shown with a selected categorization of the answers given by the two interviewers. In spite that both professors have different epistemological beliefs, cultivate different fields of chemical sciences, and are giving classes in different syllabi to diverse students, both coincide in the needed development of skills and knowledge that allow students to become responsible and independent professionals.

La indagación y la enseñanza de las ciencias

Se presenta una vision general de lo que se entiende por indagacion. Se presenta una breve resena historica y posteriormente lo que se entiende en la literatura por indagacion. Posteriormente se presentas las diversas estrategias en ensenanza-aprendizaje que existen y que hacen uso de la indagacion. Posteriormente se presenta donde y quienes hacen indagacion en Mexico. Palabras clave: Indagacion, estrategias de ensenanza-aprendizaje basadas en indagacion, indagacion en Mexico

Relationships among cognitive and emotional knowledge of teaching quantum chemistry at university level

(Relaciones entre el conocimiento cognitivo y emocional de la ensenanza de la quimica cuantica en el nivel universitario) El proposito de este articulo es identificar y analizar las relaciones entre los aspectos emocionales y cognitivos de la ensenanza de la quimica cuantica en el nivel universitario. El modelo de Magnusson et al. (1999) sobre conocimiento pedagogico de contenido (PCK) fue utilizado para estudiar la dimension cognitiva. Los aspectos emocionales incluyen las actitudes de los docentes hacia las dificultades tanto de los estudiantes como de la misma asignatura y la importancia de algunos topicos y de como se siente el docente cuando ensena esta asignatura. Se entrevisto a seis profesores holandeses universitarios que ensenan quimica cuantica a estudiantes que estudian alguna carrera relacionada con la quimica. Para el analisis de datos se utilizo una estrategia combinada cualitativa y cuantitativa. Se encontraron relaciones entre los subcomponentes cognitivos del modelos de Magnusson, entre los aspectos emocionales y entre los aspectos cognitivos y emocionales de la ensenanza de la quimica cuantica.