Resumen de Thinking in Alternatives—A Task Design for Challenging Students’ Problem-Solving Approaches in Organic Chemistry
Leonie Lieber, Nicole Graulich
In organic chemistry, meaningful learning is essential when reflecting about multiple reaction pathways and selecting reaction centers—topics that require a complex and multivariate reasoning approach to problem-solving. Meaningful learning is characterized by abstract, analytical thinking that might be time-consuming, whereas rote learning, on the other side of the continuum, facilitates simple heuristic-based recall of information. To challenge organic chemistry students to shift their problem-solving approach from rote learning to meaningful learning, we designed task sequences that initially required students to use heuristics followed by an enforced reflection about alternative reaction pathways. Twenty-nine students who were enrolled in a third-year organic chemistry course participated in the study. They solved two tasks, each with four subtasks, which sequentially provoked the use of different problem-solving approaches. The tasks are centered on the chemical concept of nucleophilicity and electrophilicity. In the first step, students were prompted to predict the product of an easy and familiar reaction. This step aimed at provoking the use of heuristics. Afterward, students received five alternative product cards and were prompted to reflect on the plausibility and the alternative mechanistic pathways leading to these products. Evaluation of these task sequences revealed (a) to what extent students were engaged in reflecting on their own problem-solving approaches and (b) the aspects students perceived as important for adopting a more meaningful approach to solving typical tasks in organic chemistry. Implications and limitations of the designed tasks are discussed.
