SIBEL ERDURAN CO-AUTHORS BOOK EXPLORING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF CHEMISTRY FOR CHEMISTRY EDUCATION

Sibel Erduran, Professor of Science Education and Deputy Director of Research at the Department of Education, University of Oxford has co-authored a new book, “Transforming Teacher Education Through the Epistemic Core of Chemistry: Empirical Evidence and Practical Strategies”.

The book, published by Springer and written with Dr Ebru Kaya, associate professor in science education at Bogazici University, Turkey, illustrates the relevance of philosophy of chemistry in the education of chemistry teachers. It investigates how to make chemistry education more meaningful for both students and teachers, rather than concentrating on “cookbook” activities where students and teachers follow “recipes”, memorise formulae and recall facts without a deeper understanding of how and why knowledge in chemistry works. This book provides empirical evidence for the integration of epistemic themes in pre-service teachers’ learning.

The book is the second Professor Erduran has published this year: “Argumentation in Chemistry Education: Research, Policy and Practice” came out in February.

“Transforming Teacher Education Through the Epistemic Core of Chemistry: Empirical Evidence and Practical Strategies” provides an example of how theory and practice in chemistry education can be bridged. It reflects on the nature of knowledge in chemistry by referring to theoretical perspectives from philosophy of chemistry. Drawing on empirical evidence from research on teacher education, it illustrates concrete strategies and resources that can be used by educators. With the use of visual representations and analogies, the project makes some fairly abstract and complex ideas accessible to pre-service teachers.

Discover more about Professor Erduran’s work and research here.