Resumen de A Community’s Vision of Instruction in the Chemistry Laboratory
Alexander Grushow, Sally S. Hunnicutt, Marc N. Muniz, Barbara A. Reisner, Stephanie Schaertel, Robert Whitnell
The Editorial Team for the Special Issue on New Visions for Teaching Chemistry Laboratory provides some insights gained from reviewing manuscripts submitted for consideration for this special issue. Among these are that there are many ways to implement inquiry in the teaching laboratory and that inquiry looks different across the curriculum. Importantly, students gain much more than conceptual understanding and basic laboratory skills when inquiry is an effective part of the laboratory. Students also develop science practice and process skills, and students experience enhanced engagement and enjoyment in the lab. While developing and using inquiry methodologies in the teaching laboratory can be time- and resource-intensive, we believe that the student outcomes justify these costs. In some cases this work was developed by educators who are aided by educational communities of practice that exist in the chemistry community, and the work of these communities should be further supported.
