Study Programmes 2015-2016
AESS1216-1  
Special didactics in chemistry : course and exercises (1st part)
Duration :
40h Th
Number of credits :
Master in chemistry (120 ECTS)3
Master in chemistry (120 ECTS)3
Agrégé de l'enseignement secondaire supérieur3
Lecturer :
Bernard Leyh
Language(s) of instruction :
French language
Organisation and examination :
All year long, with partial in January
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Course contents :
The major aspects emphasized in the specialized chemistry didactics course (Partim I) are described below. This course favours an active participation of the students.
- Presentation of the legal framework of secondary school education in French-speaking Belgium: competence-based pedagogy
- Analysis of secondary school chemistry curricula (new teaching frameworks adopted in 2014: www.gallilex.cfwb.be/document/pdf/40140_001.pdf)
- Elements of didactics: students' motivation and preconceptions, teaching and learning approaches, didactical transposition ...
- Preparation for the teaching practicums: organization of small-scale teaching exercises
- Safety and hygiene in science classrooms and laboratories
- Experimenting in science courses: 1st part (to be followed in course AESS2216-1)
- Didactical analysis of selected aspects of the curriculum: the atomic structure and the chemical bond, e.g.
- Methods for the assessment of competences
Learning outcomes of the course :
At the end of this course (part I), the future teachers are expected to be able to:
- take care of the intellectual development of their students; - guide their students in their learning process; - assess the results of their educational work; - critically analyze their pedagogical performances; - use the present world communication techniques; - apply the laws involving security and hygiene in chemical laboratories.
The students are expected to acquire the first elements to define critically their personal approach to teaching.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
Active participation in the theoretical course and in the small-scale teaching exercices<br /><br /> - A good understanding of chemistry (bachelor level)

- Participation in the General Didactics Course
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
Practicums are integrated in the theoretical course (preliminary teaching practicums, development of an experiment-based teaching strategy)
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
The course consists of seminars on the themes described in the previous sections. They take place each Wednesday afternoon (2:00 p.m. to 5:30 pm) until the end of December. The students are informed at the beginning of the academic year of the detailed schedule: http://www.ulg.ac.be/cms/c_3317652/fr/service-de-didactique-des-sciences-chimiques
Recommended or required readings :
The students are provided with various printed documents concerning the different topics taught.
Assessment methods and criteria :
The students will have to perform a personal project on a chemistry-oriented didactical theme, to be communicated during the academic year. A reasonable knowledge of the chemistry concepts involved in this work is a necessary condition to obtain a global grade equal to at least 10/20.
Work placement(s) :
Please see description of course AESS1219-1 (Practical / Work placement)
Organizational remarks :
Contacts :
Bernard Leyh - Molecular Dynamics Laboratory - Didactics of Chemistry - Office R77 (Building B6c, level 0, south floor) - Phone: 00 32 4 3663425 Electronic address: Bernard.Leyh@ulg.ac.be Teaching assistant: Ms. Brigitte Nihant - Didactics of Chemistry - Building B6a - -2/117 (south) - Phone: 00 32 4 3663335 Electronic address: Brigitte.Nihant@ulg.ac.be