We received email from Hal White, professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, that raises some important thoughts about a new article about conceptual understanding:
“We talk a lot about conceptual understanding, but its meaning may not be the same for each person. ‘Defining Conceptual Understanding in General Chemistry’ was published in the Journal of Chemistry Education in September 2015 by Tom Holme, et al. (Holme visited UD last year as the Kramer lecturer.) Their study asked about 1800 chemistry instructors to state what conceptual understanding meant and then extracted the common themes around core ideas, theories, and practices. It seems to me that by substituting your discipline for chemistry, this consensus definition applies generally to science disciplines and might be a point of reference in any course or curriculum planning.”
Read the full article, “Defining Conceptual Understanding in General Chemistry”.
