Growing crystals: Teacher support in the use of science labs

A SERQUIS; A. RAVIOLO

Hydeberab

Congreso; 24th Congress of the International Union of Crystallography; 2017

International Union of Crystallography (IUCr

The limited presence of the natural sciences in school, and the non-systematic teaching of its contents, is part of a schooltradition in many of the primary educational institutions in Argentina.During 2015 Primary schools in the city of Bariloche received laboratory materials from the Natural Science for All Plan at theElementary level. In most schools this material is not used. This is due, to a large extent, to some inertia and insecurity inteachers. Therefore, the Chemistry teacher training career of the University of Rio Negro (UNRN) created the program ?Teachersupport in the use of science laboratory in primary schools in the city of Bariloche?The objective of this program is that students of the last years of the Chemistry teacher training career accompany teachers ofpublic elementary schools in the planning and execution of experimental activities, in particular teachers of the schools ofpopular sectors of the city.These activities use the laboratory materials received to show how crystals grow.Since the IYCr, the Argentine Association of Crystallography (AACr) has worked in a permanently in the training of teachers ofthe area. The graduate students that form this program received training through their participation in a course on the topic ofcrystal growth, in cooperation with the Argentine Association of Crystallography.Experimental activities were carried out on 18 classrooms in 11 elementary schools, and were attended by more than 400students. Fundamentally, experimental crystal growth activities were performed with: sugar crystals (in brochette sticks: sugarsticks), borax (egg shell geodes), copper sulphate (figures in pipe wires), salt (columns of salt) and crystals of alum.Student participation was focused on the promotion of scientific procedures and competences such as: systematic observation,hypothesis formulation, experimental design, variable identification and control, data recording and conclusion extraction andmodeling. The implementation of all these procedures with elementary students were feasible with the help of the teacher and, inthis case, the UNRN students.The intervention of the university students was a positive stimulus for the concrete realization of the activities and, in addition,contributed to: (a) improving the didactic sequences, (b) incorporating the use of videos and (c) with the naked eye and with theuse of microscopes, common and digital (USB microscopes). It also caused a remarkable motivation and participation of theelementary school students.Although the demand that gives rise to this program is very broad, and exceeds its possibilities, a step has been taken in theright way. The interest and participation in experimental activities and in the use of the laboratory, both of teachers and studentsof elementary school, and in several cases of the school management team have been encouraged. From the primary teacherappraisal of the experience an increased confidence and knowledge appear as learning asset, encouraging teachers to continueapplying lab activities in their usual practice