JOURNAL OF CURRENT RESEARCH IN SCIENCE JCRS

ISSN 2322-5009 S (2), 2016: 496-504

CODEN (USA): JCRSDJ
Available at www.jcrs010.com

A study on chemistry teaching methods, experimental analysis by student-teachers in internship

lessons
Mehri Ezazi1, Mohammad Nourian2

1. Faculty member of Farhangian Unversity, Mashhad Hasheminejad campus

2. Assistant professor in Islamic Azad University of Tehran, southern unit
Corresponding Author email: Mehri_ezazai@yahoo.com

K E Y W O R D S: methodology, experimental sciences, chemistry, conceptual plan

ABSTRACT: This survey aims at the trainings of chemistry according to analyzing the experiences of student-
teachers of their internship in Farhangian University. Initially we examine teaching methodology in three successful
countries in these studies and then we move into chemistry teaching condition in Iran and the barriers to cognitive
tools were identified such as conceptual plans. Our research population is composed of documents regarding
chemistry and sciences curricula in Iran and other countries, reported of memorandums made by students in their
internship and the results of international test of Teems. Data collecting tools are explanatory forms of chemistry
teaching course authors and also students who were attending the school at least once a week and observation and
interviews made with teachers and student. Findings showed that the most common teaching methods of presenting
chemistry in Iran is lecturing and monologue discussions while in other countries which were successful in teaching
sciences and chemistry the student-oriented and active methods were used and the obstacles to active methods of
teaching in addition to the teacher are the lack of required equipment’s, the huge volume of educational books,
assessment methods and scoring system.

Introduction
This study aims at examining the ups and downs that chemistry has passed in high schools in Iran to reach to its
current conditions, chemistry which was taught earlier in elementary schools in Iran as sciences and at nowadays it has
enormous application in human beings’ lives and its educational importance is not covert to anybody, we want to know which
methods are being used to teach chemistry in schools and whether these methods are useful enough to reach their educational
goal or not. Children get familiarized in elementary schools with some concepts of natural sciences which have a lot of
applications in their lives and thus the background for learning chemistry is already set in them because it originates from the
child’s experiences and observations. The majority of the concepts of natural sciences in elementary school return to child’s
familiarity with his environment and along learning other educational subjects in school the child gets interested in his
environment, thus in this paper we initiate on studying natural sciences summarily and then get into chemistry that is more
subjective than natural sciences.
Teaching sciences is usually teaching experiences. Executing methods and observations get recorded and the results
will be identified. Sciences including physics, chemistry, biology, geology and space sciences and sometimes mathematics, are
being created by human being achievements in research and study methods (Alaghehband, 2006).
Teaching natural sciences has been always one of the most important scopes of education in educational systems
(Mehrmohammadi, 2001)[19]. Teaching sciences is an evident factor in agricultural and industry developments and social
progress of developed countries and is a vital factor in cultural and materialistic progresses of people. Thus teaching sciences is
of grand importance in societies’ curricula and has been always a subject of study foe education specialists.
Teaching sciences course has had the best and the longest history in America and Britain, a place in which the first
degree of PhD of science education was granted in 1930 Colombian teachers college, the first degree of PhD of sciences
education also was granted in these years in South Africa while in some European countries like France and Finland the firs
PhD degree of science education was granted in the 1970s (Lavgosh, 2001).
Planning in sciences teaching was initiated from 1930 onwards that in this era the beginning and developments of
educational planning had appeared in 1918 in which Franklin Bobet had published his book named teaching planning or the
year 1937 in which the first department of education programming and planning was built in Chicago University
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(Mehrmohammadi, 2008). Teaching sciences in the form of academic subjects as the oldest (Miller, translated by
Mehrmohammadi, 2008) and the most dominant (Silver alexander and Louise translated by Khouyinejad, 2006) form of
education was followed in this way of educational organizing, natural sciences in elementary and secondary schools and
teaching physics, chemistry, biology, geology and hygienic sciences in high schools have been taught so far [1]
We will study and brief educational plans regarding chemistry that was used before 1980 [6]

Chemistry teaching plan with a communicational approach

In chemistry teaching plan with a communicational approach we emphasize on the development of mental patterns of
learners, understanding chemistry with the help of relating concept to each other and interpretation of chemical materials
reactions and properties. The foundation of this approach is based on designing a general problem and presenting concepts in a
deductive way from components to the whole totality of the problem. In this approach a number of basic subjects were selected
and then a number of subsidiary or secondary concepts will be added to these concepts to raise the conceptual understanding of
these subjects that help to grasp the fundamental concepts such as understanding the polarized form of water molecules and
their bent shape, to understand these concepts we need to equip learners with these concepts first: hybridization, molecular
forms, bonding and non-bonding electrons and orbital models of atomic structure. Therefore the bent structure of water
molecule and its curvaceous form is a reason to embark on some basic teachings that are related to each other logically
lengthwise.

The approach of studying educational components of chemistry

This approach is completely experiment-oriented and follows an approach of discovering the concepts by the help of
experiments. In this approach the teaching of each concept of chemistry starts in the lab and ends in the classroom. For
example the learners in their first teaching session with the aim of precise scientific observation were examining the burning
process of a candle and recorded their qualitative and quantitative data. Then they used to share their findings with other
members of their group and discuss about these findings and after finalizing the observations and findings, their reports were
assessed and analyzed in class and the teacher in addition of examining their finding and presenting theoretical concepts,
designed some questions to maintain the class in its aimed and required path.

Nuffield teaching chemistry plans in England

Nuffield teaching chemistry plans which relies on implementing experiments and discovery methods was first
designed and executed by Nuffield scientific association I the period of 1964-1970. The selective approaches of this plan
shows that chemistry to progress its educational goals is using the method “educational targets and attaining these final goals
Chemistry teaching plans after 1980
The aim of designing the primary plans before 1980 was replacing descriptive approach to chemistry with modern
and updated approaches with an organized, consistent and rational classification method. But practically and in different part
of world it was judged that these models have gone too far in emphasizing on theoretical aspects. As long as chemistry
sciences had grown, the patterns that had been used before was becoming more and more abstract every day. Application of
sever abstract concepts and mathematical models which were from those kind of complicated logical relationships and
experimental justifications, were vastly bolstered in chemistry sciences. Nowadays the extent of misunderstanding abstract
concepts is far higher than before. A lot of learners find chemistry austere and lifeless thus they don’t have enough motivation
to study chemistry. Experimental activities are banal and tiring and there is slight difference between them and cooking. All
these factors lead to the double importance of an educational planning, in the following we will talk about some plans in this
era: [6]

Chemistry teaching plan with an inter-disciplinary approach

This approach sparked first in 1970 and after three years of diligent efforts of chemistry teachers, sciences education
consultants and professors of Maryland in America yielded its fruits. This plan is partly based on this assumption and
deduction that with triggering interest in learners they would enjoy the learning process and they will learn better and efficient
and memorize their lessons much better and apply it on time. Thus the concepts they have learnt would be applicable.
In conceptual organizing of this plan we have used modular approach. The seven folded modules which are
considered in this pattern included a collection of flexible topics which from learning point of view are auto-learnable and
provide a possibility of a number of selective paths. The first module was based on fundamental chemistry principles and basic
skills and the next modules reinforce and develop the concept of the first module. Learners via moving from one module
towards another could reach general concepts in a way that different scopes of chemistry (for example chemistry-physics,
mineral chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, nuclear chemistry and environmental chemistry) were unified.

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Chemistry teaching plans in society

American chemistry institute with the support of American national association of sciences, Karnic associations,
Rockefeller and a number of other institutes and organizations designed the model of teaching chemistry with the approach of
interdisciplinary and with respect to social issues and published its first edition in 1988. The considered goals of the model of
teaching chemistry in society included student-oriented, activity-oriented and problem-oriented approaches and encouraged
small student groups to learn chemical concepts. The content of this plan was composed of known and general concepts of
chemistry, laboratory skills and also concepts relating to organic chemistry and environment, chemical industries and nuclear
chemistry. This collection was normally presented in a standard academic chemistry book. Concepts, meanings, selective
approaches in this plan helped the learners to regard chemistry according to their social needs. Among its prominent properties
was that chemistry was learnt according to the philosophy of requirements of learning it, thus social and technological
concepts are there that determine the depth and extensiveness of chemistry concepts. When learners are to apply chemistry
concepts in their daily life, this plan with presenting required information obligates the responsibility of learning to them.
Most of the problems before 1980 for specialists were which subjects to choose to be put in academic book contents. This
question caused in producing substantial and consistent teaching programs including a variety of subjects of chemistry that
were designed and executed. These teaching programs according to alternatives and assessments were reconsidered and
improved from time to time. In the late twentieth century, this question was posed in industrial and scientific centers of world
that what learners really need to learn and the research conducted in this ground were mostly of these concepts: teaching
programs designed towards learners, applying process approach and nurturing different ways of contemplation, cooperation
and research activities of learners. Examining and reviewing learnings and the extent of learners’ grasp of the concepts being
learnt and pinpointing misunderstanding were very common and a lot of information was acquired about teaching-learning
methods and effective learning conditions such as student-oriented learning like co-operational learning, using structural
approaches and analytic views.

The prevalent methods of teaching science in countries:

Studying different resources shows that among successful countries in teaching science like Japan America, England
the student-oriented and active teaching styles have been adopted and also considering standard principles in studying by
teachers, students play an active role in the class.

Japan
The process of teaching-learning method in Japan is active ad student-oriented and the teacher plays a role as a
consultant and guider and there is an emphasis on the involvement of the learners’ parents as well. It is obviously seen in
school staffs’ speeches that the gravitational center of their focus is students (education ministry of Japan’s site, 2007,
Sarkararani, 2004). In Japan’s education system comprehensive student- oriented methods are the base. The student takes part
in the class, conducts researches, studies books and the teacher is his consultant and guide and controls his learning process as
well as his behavior and eloquence and in necessary cases guides and direct him.

England
In teaching, teachers should consider three cases
Setting a series of challenging programs for students
Caring for learning needs of students in educational contents
Removal of learning barriers and also individual and group evaluation of students (education ministry of England’s site, 2007,
Vavdanel, 2004) [13]. The applied approaches in England education system is completely active and teacher is a guide or a
consultant. Students participate in curricular and extra-curricular activities and their parents are satisfied with it.

America
In teaching sciences all the teachers are required to take in notice a series of teaching standards. These six folded standards are
composed of cases which a teacher should know it in all the grades and be able to implement them: 1- teaching programs of all
the scientific subjects according to exploring and discovery 2- activities along with guiding and speeding up learning process
3- teaching process evaluation 4- development of academic environment to increase the ability to learn 5- making student
groups 6- designing and developing educational programs in school (American education ministry site, 2007)[14]
Effective teaching is in the core of natural sciences education. Thus in the list of standards of sciences teaching among
all the educational approaches the exploring approach is at the top of the list. A good science teacher along with the creation of
an appropriate educational environment tries to take part in learning-teaching process actively with the students.

Methodology

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This study is a qualitative study and has used explanatory research method to describe educational facts of sciences
and chemistry in Iran. Explanatory research is a term that has been coined in 1969 as a branch of literature research supervising
the interpretation of a narration and specially its forms and different types of narrators. Narration science is basically knotted
with European structuralism as a modern aspect. Even though examining the ancient forms of narration from Aristotle era (4
BA century) shows that we can classified those researches as explanatory researches as well.[9]
Researcher according to written report of student-teachers, observations and interviews narrates an obvious and evident report
of teaching chemistry in schools that is based on the facts he has seen.

Statistical population
In this research our statistical population is countries in the world and documents based on educational and academic
plans and programs and not published reports of student-teachers of Farhangian University students in Mashad campus and
researchers’ narrations. Our sample was three countries from three continents (Japan, America and England) which were
successful in international tests and Iran due to unsuccessful sciences teaching in it and its sensitivity.

Data collecting tools

In this research the tools that the researcher has used is including: educational and academic documents of selected
countries in teaching methods scopes and also narrated reports of student-teachers and objective observations, for validity and
reliability of these tools we can name: specialists approvals and also using books, sites and essays in valid science journals.

Data collecting methods

In collecting data we used three methods
Going to various libraries or institute which had these documents
Searching on internet in validated institutes in science teaching methods like education ministry of these different countries,
essays in sciencedirect and noormag.
Encoding reports done by student-teachers and categorizing their information and narrations.

Data analyzing methods

Informations about teaching methods in mentioned countries were analyzed in a qualitative method. In analyzing
reports in addition to thinking and deduction, reasons were also considered. Also semi-structural interviews with students
about their guide teacher’s teaching styles in school and also analyzing reports and observations of student were carried out.

Research’s questions
Due to the fact that studying the process of teaching chemistry in the world is regarded which starts from childhood
via learning natural sciences in schools in this survey we are aiming at finding an answer to this question that according to the
vast board of chemistry in the world, whatever that is required to be taught to students should be conducted in which way and
which content should be selected to teach and then we will discuss the barriers in applying these cognitive methods. In other
words we are searching for answers to these questions:
How is the condition of teaching chemistry in schools in Iran?
What is the barriers for applying cognitive tools like conceptual plans in teaching chemistry?

Research’s findings to answer these questions

Examining the history of teaching sciences shows that before 1960 the majority of sciences teaching plans tended to
scientific learning, and it was assumed that learners with learning principles, concepts, and scientific theories will turn into
thinkers and inventors (Fathi, 1994)[12].
With the reforms happened in the 1960s in teaching methods, new teaching programs instead of emphasizing on
knowledge, scientific facts, laws and theories and their technological applications, put the pressure on the nature of sciences
and their unified structures and also on scientific researches (koloupfar, 1971)[11]
Because nowadays the speedy progress of sciences and technologies are being regarded and this issue has affected all
the aspects of our lives thus educational and academic teachings must keep pace with these advancements in a way that
students can get updated with the latest changes, so education and learning-teaching methods play an important role in this
case. Therefore a variety of tests regarding mathematical sciences are being conducted internationally to pinpoint countries’
weak points in these scales and we will summarily examine one of these international tests to understand that in Iran the
quality of teaching is in which level and how much it differs with the average in the world. Teems test have some basic goals
that consist of: evaluation of progress in mathematics and sciences in fourth grade of elementary schools and third grade of
secondary school that is conducted internationally by the international assessment association in order to evaluate their
academic performance.

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These tests are somehow the criteria of countries’ educational systems evaluation and the extent of educational
system’s success and performance. A lot of countries assume their ranking in the world according to their education system
performance ranking. Some countries like Norway, are so sensitive o these reports and criteria that a low range of it students’
score led in firing the education minister of that country.

History and background of participating in Teems tests

Iran in order to improve its teaching system and evaluating it, has started its collaboration with this association since
1992 and so far has participated in five studies (Teems) in the years 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. Because Teems tests
give us a realistic and general view of education system’s performance in the form of: 1-intended academic plans 2- executed
academic plans 3- received academic plan in mathematics and sciences of fourth and eighth grades thus examining each
element of this analysis can be of great use in the process of teaching-learning of the students in different stages and countries
would be able to assess their qualifications in different academic aspects.
As we can observe in below diagram Iran is of those countries which their mathematics and sciences level in 2007
and 2011 are slightly differed and significantly below the average scale of Teems test. [2]

The process of examining chemistry from the beginning so far

Academic evolution happened in Iran due to access to European technology and new sciences. Because one of the
scales of this reform in Iran was teaching new sciences including chemistry from the scratch establishment of scientific and
technological institutes and publishing books were put in government’s educational agenda. Thus for the first time in
Darolfonun publishers, the first Iranian governmental academic institute, academic books were published in European style.

The content of chemistry has changed a lot during the ages

Darolfonun and edition of academic chemistry books: In the beginning translators used to attend the classes and
translate the European teachers’ lessons in Persian and after some time they started to translate their books written by those
teachers. After Darolfonun and Mashruteh revolution in 1946 a lot of schools were established in Iran in which chemistry was
being taught by lecturing or presentations.

The philosophy of teaching chemistry in high schools

On one hand chemistry as one of the most important fields of natural sciences and on the other hand due to its
excessive importance because of our great sources of oil, gas and minerals and lead, copper, iron, zinc sources, and also
because the historical and old Islamic background, Iran has allocated a great share for studying chemistry and its importance is
obvious. The limited amount of our natural resources urges us to appreciate the importance of avoiding their wastage and
contemplating on the ways of reusing them with finding appropriate alternatives, scientific-technological knowledge is a
pressing need for society and natural sciences which open the way before us that via that we can understand these problems
and take rational and scientific decisions. Even though natural sciences are not able to solve all our problems but it provides
knowledge and principles that with the help of them we will be able to find a solutions for such problems. [5]

Objectives of teaching chemistry in high schools

In chemistry’s curriculum guideline (2011) the basis for educational goals is “Rof Tylers” model. In this model the
main sources of selection and choosing educational goals are: students’ needs, society, and chemistry specialists’ point of
view. Thus according to the philosophy and principles domineering in chemistry, teaching programs of chemistry in high
schools must at least follow the educational goals, these nine-folded objectives must be acquired by the students through their
teacher that objectives 4, 5 and nine directly indicate active teaching methods of the teacher. These objectives are
Get familiarized with and mastery over the nature and methods of chemistry especially the skill of learning natural sciences
that includes processing and practical skills, so through this improve and reinforce his mental abilities
With combining the skills acquired in chemistry with scientific views and aptitudes analyze his/her daily matters and make
responsible decisions regarding them.
Make beliefs in innate views and values of science such as questioning, enlightenment, preciseness, honesty in recording and
presenting reports, discipline and concluding and also believing in limitations and uncertainties in theories and scientific
methods. [5]

Methods and techniques of teaching chemistry

Having a teaching plan for a teacher is the most significant part of compatibility with class’s time table and caring for
its design would lead in increasing efficiency of the process of learning-teaching. It can be said that the best teaching is the
teaching that is aligned with the teaching plan and its objectives. In teaching program of chemistry, 17 fundamental points are

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taken into accounts for employing a teacher in teaching that the most important sections in applying active teaching methods
are as follows:
Using a variety of teaching methods and evaluations according to content and class
Make an environment in which the teacher and students co-operate actively in the class
Provide all the students with equal learning opportunities
Persuading students to study real phenomena outside of the class or the lab
Be aware of the fact that understanding of students would develop through social activities
For developing his/her knowledge about teaching chemistry he/she should discuss with colleagues in the same grade or other
grades
Have debate with other related sciences teachers like physics, biology and geology in the same grade or other grades
Anyway achieving all the possible aspects of teaching program and providing students with appropriate chances to reinforce
their skills and abilities demand teachers to be familiar with all the teaching methods and have a vast knowledge about it and
applies different teaching techniques.

Studying chemistry teaching method in Iran

To reply the first question that takes into consideration the condition of teaching chemistry in Iran,we can say in Iran
teacher have a great deal of liberation to select their teaching methods,it means that there is no supervision on their teaching
method,even though in teachers guidebooks or workbooks there are a bunch of suggestions.In most of the schools,sciences
teachers aplly the traditional methods of teaching . science teachers in their teachings mostly use lecturing methods,problem-
solving or question and answer means and have satisfactory skills to start and end a session but at the same time they don’t use
methods such as discussion,role playing,project,scientific excursion,laboratory and dramatic methods.Even though educational
objectives and content(academic books) is provided based upon an active approach but practically these modern approaches
don’t get implemented by the teachers and perhaps the most important reason to this is that the modern methods objectives are
insensible to them,whereas this process is getting better(Badrian,1385,Ahmadi,1380)(1)
Farhangian University in Iran trains teachers. In this university, acting and new Variety methods of teaching is taught
to teacher-students during the four years and perform them practically in internship course. Students who pass internship
courses from semester 4th to semester 7th attend in schools 6 hours once a week. in discussions of internship1 in the first
semester, it should be find and write a report from the school and its purpose is cleverly observed and Initialize consider
reflective thinking in teacher-Students. in internship2 , the validity of the research report of the classrooms is concerned and
it`s also emphasis on reflective thinking of student. In the third semester, each student defines for her/himself a professional
“me” and in that, what she/he wishes has become a reality. In this step her/his research actions are constituted and in the last
semester ready for an independent teaching. During the course, he/she should be design and implement an independent
teaching. Here is the presence of chemistry teacher-Students in secondary schools that show the methods of teachers are very
different to teacher-Students teaching methods learned. Study daily reports of practitioner students in different schools show
that teaching of chemistry teachers start with stereotypical identical in all sessions and continues and ends with the same way.
In this section we will look Parts of chemistry students reports from classrooms that describes grade teacher taught. While this
report has been prepared from different schools with various litter, Presumably we see in these reports a great similarity in the
implementation of teaching methods and teaching- learning activities of teachers that Unfortunately, all them shows the lack of
the use of activation methods and student-centered:
Intern 1:
............ Teacher began his work these :kids close the book, I want to ask you questions from previous lesson. After asking
from several persons said open book, Mina read. Mina read new paragraph of new lessons. The teacher then explained that
what is today's lesson and its meaning............
Intern 2:
Teacher wrote objectives lesson on the board and explained one by one. In the mid-lesson teacher asked questions to know the
students learned a lesson or not. Then ask them that write contents in the form of a booklet notes. And then said several
exercises of the Contents until the students who are volunteers solve them…..
Intern 3:
Like every day at the beginning of the session evaluate. Then he said to students to close their books. He start to teach the new
lesson as a lecture and then something that was explained, wrote as a summary of the board. asked students to write them
down. ....
Intern 4:
...... After he was sure all the students understood the previous lesson, prepare the class for new lessons. First, by way of
explanation, explained the lesson with practical and attractive examples and then asked everyone to open their notebook and
take notes pamphlet that based on this teaching he want to say. Then teacher said content word to word and they were just
notes .......

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Intern 5:
Chemistry teacher emphasis on textbook. At first of class he said to one of the students read the lesson. Then from the
beginning of the text to end he describe details paragraph by paragraph. And then said the contents in the form of a booklet
notes until note them. He wrote several issues on the board to respond. Of course, he used also tuition books for homework.

Some reports of Internship students about lack of active learning methods of teacher in teaching chemistry And in other words
the reasons for lack of use a method that can create deep learning meaningful, is as follows:
Intern 1:
chemistry teacher complaints the volume of chemistry book and said: If you don`t study the lesson I can`t finish and teaching
the massive chemistry book and for final exams you were not ready .......
Intern 2:
...... Then the teacher told the students: today I can not take you to laboratory because we don`t have potassium and for this
lesson we need to substances such as potassium that have not yet purchased ........
Intern 3:
Teachers was promised to students that he will show an interesting movie about the organization today. Sent a representative to
the school office to see if the class has display the data can give him. After a few minutes representative back and inform to the
teacher apologize school principal. Because another class was busy on the use the classroom was equipped with projectors.
.......
Intern 4:
Teacher during teaching noted that this experiment is very dangerous and emanating can do for you because the possibility of
explosion, which is very dangerous for you and I do not accept responsibility ....

Intern 5:
......... At this moment, the teacher speak about many problems that the school has, and no laboratory space in it so he can`t do
lesson experiments, One of the students ask that for doing this experiments we should be in our school and we can`t go to other
schools? the teacher explained that it is not necessary to experiment ............

According to these reports, for a more detailed analysis of the causes of the use of teaching methods and student-centered
methods, comparative table below is show a summary of what was said:

Table 1
row as lessons Teaching methods applied The desirable and Causes for Lack of
suggestion teaching appropriate methods
methods of teacher`s idea
1 A variety of chemical A description of the book Probe The large volume of
reactions
2 Chemical reactions and Questions and Answers Questions and Lack of laboratory
ways of showing it FAQ Answers and facilities like
experiments material
3 Stoichiometry, quantitative Lecture Problem Solving Lack of
relationships technological
possibilities
4 Types of chemical reaction Explanatory and pamphlets Guided probe Dangerous for
experiments
5 Balancing the equation of explain and solve exercises Educational Lack of place for
a chemical reaction computer games proper experiment

A comparative study of methods

From the collection of all the written documents that are directly available to the researcher, totally we can conclude
that active teaching methods (student-oriented method) are not of any use in Iran and due to paying no heeds to experimental
and practical activities, laboratory activities and processing approach of learning in students we can claim that intended official
plan of science teaching methods are similar to other three countries, but the understood teaching program and the executed
plan have a huge difference with those countries that demands the authorities attention.

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Guide book of chemistry high school teacher

The investigators then turned to teachers’ guidebook in chemistry that had been written by the teachers in Iran to find
instructions and written teachings. In these books for each section initially a conceptual plan has been designed that shows the
structure of that section’s topics and this plan is based on the student’s prior knowledge and teaching according to this plan
would help the teacher to respect the transposition and sequencing content and thus logical order can happen in learning, for
example we use a conceptual plan that was in the chemistry book of the third grade of natural sciences to show the logical
relationship in the first chapter (appendix 1)
If teachers use these communication patterns among subjects of one lesson as we suggested before, the teaching
process would be more attractive. Objective reports and observations from chemistry classes show that guidebook of teaching
have no place in teachers’ educational plans and only one stereotype method has been used. One of the lessons in chemistry of
third grade of high school is presented as chemical equilibrium in which the best way of teaching presentation has been given
as computer games along with this method’s guidelines that can be downloaded. Also in the next page the next topic is
chemical reactions that the best way suggested by the teachers’ guidebook is conductivity probe (appendix 2 and 3).

Discussion and conclusion

With respect to the disappointing results of Teems in Ira, we can conclude that applied teaching methods by the
teachers in Iran as compared to other three countries mentioned have not been able to live up expectations and standards and
the modification of teaching methods are necessary by the teachers. According to the guidebook of teachers’ chemistry book of
the third grade (units) the suggested way to teach the students about chemical equilibriums is computer games but no teacher in
fact uses this method. The reason of avoiding the usage of this program or similar programs is not this research’s discussion
subject, but the reason that pushed the researcher to make student-teachers use these methods in their classes of chemistry
workshops was that even the young and fresh teachers who are interested in this job do not apply these methods and techniques
of teaching in their classes. Why?
Researcher to examine the reason had series of debates and discussions with chemistry student-teachers. After
collecting data that students exposed to researchers like the training reports and narration probing weekly according to direct
observations of the researcher, he concluded that the school environment has a negative or positive effect in executing
students’ teaching programs and the preparation for accepting some methods are not there in the schools and it has many
reasons like heavy load of academic books, the lack of laboratory equipment and also the lack of required security in labs and
classes and the worst of all was that these problems were an approval of traditional teaching methods.
In the same manner in learning unit 3 (chemical reactions) the suggested teaching method was conductivity probe
which was suggested in the first chapters to teachers to use demonstration to execute an experiment. Students due to the
restrictions regarding using chemical substances in the school prefer to evade questioning methods or also with playing a
movie of this reaction actually he teaches virtually that of course in some schools due to lack of equipment even the possibility
of playing a movie or using PowerPoint is nil and all these shortages would cause in an attraction felt by students to use
simpler methods used by teachers and imitate them.
Thus the researcher is aiming at finding teaching methods in chemistry that will be student-oriented and active and
can make the students achieve the general and substantial goals of the subject being taught, and on the other hand because of
schools’ lack of lab and laboratory materials or the shortage of video projector can there must be a way to be applied in all
these schools and finally can create a meaningful learning in students.
Researcher in studying varied books and documents related to natural sciences’ teachings and specially chemistry in
the world, reached an attractive and efficient method of teaching which can give depth to learnings and t should be applicable
in every school irrespective of their equipment. This method is applying conceptual learning plans. Even though conceptual
plan is not alone a way of teaching, but it can help to summarize or generalize book contents in the minds of students.
Here due the importance of conceptual teaching plans in students’ learnings, it is required to explain about this
method and its h story:
Conceptual plan in 1972 in Novak research programs was invented in Kornel university, in implementation of this
method Novak et al interviewed a lot of students and realized that recognizing certain alternation in their understanding of
sciences with examining copies of these debates is difficult so it was an efficient too for teaching not only in science but also in
other aspect.
Conceptual plan is presenting keywords in order in a manner that learner recognizes subjects and then organize them
in meaningful patterns. These conceptual plans make sure that the student have learnt a subject completely. Before the teaching
session presenting a conceptual plan acts as a pre-organizer and if conceptual plan is presented in the end of a session it has
helped to summarize the issue, it shows a significant relationship between the latter and the first subjects and realizes the
meaningful learning methods that teacher are following [22], conceptual plans are designed in a pyramid pattern that more
general matters are at the apex of the pyramid and the detailed and small matters are put at the base of the pyramid like the
conceptual plan that was in the guidebook of teachers in season 1.

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The applicable suggestions

A teaching-learning approach based on conceptual plans can play an effective role in realizing schools’ goals and specially in
lesson with the variety of subjects such as history biology and chemistry and also in lessons which have abstract concepts like
atom, quantum number, atom models … in research into conceptual plans it is obvious that with the use of conceptual plans,
learning would happen in its higher levels (analyzing, combination and evaluation) and it is the best way for meaningful and
perpetual learning. It is recommended that even in academic books not only in teachers’’ guidebooks in the beginning of each
new topic the conceptual plan of it been designed to make students more familiar with these plans.
The other recommendation is that education institute authorities have a supervision on teaching methods and the
standard principles of it to be executed, to make sure that teachers who have a passive approach of teaching and stereotyped
classes and teach academic contents to students in a single way, would understand their fault and start applying these methods
and it is better to prevent them from teaching for some time.

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