Chemistry and Cinema (English shop)

Das Projekt ChemCi: Ein modifizierter Anchored Instruction-Ansatz zur Entwicklung von motivierenden und experimentellen Unterrichtseinheiten im Kontext von Spielfimen

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It is no new insight that chemistry lessons are not particularly popular among students (Woest, 1997). Since 1905, chemistry has been among the less popular or unpopular school subjects (Pfeiffer, Lutz & Bader, 2002) — and this at a time when scientific literacy is more important than ever. So why not meet learners where they are and integrate one of their greatest interests, the media, into science teaching? Why not turn the “curse” of recent years into a “blessing” for chemistry lessons? This gives rise to the idea underlying this work: to achieve an increase in motivation among learners through a modified Anchored Instruction approach and the use of feature film sequences as anchor media, and to generate a lasting interest in chemistry lessons. To this end, teaching units with experiments for lower and upper secondary level were developed on “Dante’s Peak” (chemistry of acids), “The Big Blue” and “Freediver” (reversible reaction of carbon dioxide, the lung and pressure), “Men of Honor” (gas laws of Boyle-Mariotte, Gay-Lussac and Amontons), “Das Boot” and “Apollo 13” (carbon dioxide adsorption on KOH and LiOH) and “James Bond – Thunderball” (mode of action of potassium hyperoxide), and aligned with the current curricula.