Changing How We Teach Acid-Base Chemistry: A Proposal Grounded in Studies of the History and Nature of Science Education

We propose explicit and implicit approaches for the teaching of acid-base chemistry based on research into the history and nature of science (NoS). To support these instructional proposals, we identify four rationales for students to understand acid-base processes: daily life, socio-scientific, curriculum, and history of science. The extensive bibliography on misconceptions at all educational levels justifies the need for a change from the usual pedagogical approaches to teaching the acid-base domain (traditionally involving conceptual-focused teaching) to a deeper and more meaningful approach that provides (implicitly or explicitly) a chance to reflect on how scientific knowledge is constructed. Controversial moments in science from 1923, when three researchers (Bronsted, Lowry, and Lewis) independently enunciated two theories from two different paradigms (dissociation and valence electron), underpin our first sequence with an explicit NoS approach for both lower secondary school and upper secondary or university levels. Our inquiry teaching cycle promotes the transformation of a hands-on activity (using cabbage as an indicator) into an inquiry, and subsequently, we use an historical model to propose a sequence of activities based on the modeling cycle of Couso and Garrido-Espeja for lower secondary school. Finally, we identify some implications for a model-focused teaching approach for upper secondary and university levels using more sophisticated models.