Abstract:

Introducing environmental education into schools leads students to an environmentally friendly lifestyle and to ensure the quality of life. Raising environmental awareness is currently a high priority for both educational institutions and society. Cross-topic themes, including environmental education, can be implemented in teaching through various techniques, tasks, projects, activities and methods. One of the least used is a real school experiment. By implementing a school experiment, students develop both critical thinking and higher cognitive functions. This paper presents a proposal for research-oriented teaching connected with an experiment realized with the school measuring system of Vernier. Specifically, we focused on linking comparisons of energy changes in the melting of ice by various chemical substances. At the same time, we focused the student's activity on understanding why sodium chloride is currently mainly used as a spreading substance in our climate zone. A significant part of the activities designed for students is also focused on the impact of the spreading substances on the environment. A temperature probe was used in the implementation and the temperature coloring of the reactions was monitored. The experiment is purposefully integrated into the Technique and Didactics of School Experiments as part of the Master's program, which prepares students for the profession of a chemistry teacher. The setup experiment enables both teachers and future science teachers to integrate environmental education into the teaching process. By carrying out a particular experimental activity, they are not dependent only on literature or references to it, but can actively develop mathematical and scientific literacy of students in the subject of the chemistry. The activities can be extended by calculations focused on the consumption or release of energy in the given chemical process. Based on experience, we can conclude that experiments focused on the chemistry of everyday life, which means spreading salt on the roads, or the work with the school measuring system has only a positive response from our students, as evidenced by a short interview conducted after the experimental activity itself.

Keywords:

Environmental education, Ice melting, School measuring system, Thermal coloring of reactions, Experimental activity.