As chemists, we understand that science is more than a set of disconnected facts. It is a way of investigating and understanding our natural world that involves things like asking questions, analyzing data, identifying patterns, constructing explanations, developing and using models, and applying core concepts to other situations. This paper uses…

Widespread adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has created a need to carefully consider how chemistry curricula should support students in understanding the world in terms of atomic/molecular behavior. We argue that Standards-aligned coursework should be "core-ideas centered" due to evidence that curricula embedded…

Previously, we found that: (i) many students were unable to construct representations of simple molecular structures; (ii) a majority of students fail to make the important connection between these representations and macroscopic properties of the material; and (iii) they were unable to decode the information contained in such representations.…

Discusses the passive role that students often take in large classes and argues for teaching methods such as cooperative learning that place students in a more active learning environment. Examines the advantages and potential drawbacks of cooperative learning for large classes and provides suggestions on preparing for group work. (DDR)