What Does It Mean to Think Like a Chemist?

Abstract

The expectations of what a chemist should be, are determined by our epistemologies, that is, the accepted mechanisms through which we produce knowledge shape our conception of the “chemist”. One of the “professional skills” that centered on reform curricula is critical thinking. However, in the chapter I argue that critical thinking definitions often fail to acknowledge the sociocultural nature of science, the role of context, and how the discipline’s epistemology define what is considered critical thinking. The aim of this chapter is to present the Resources for Equitable Activation of Chemical Thinking (REACT) Framework that centers equity and justice principles to foster the learning of disciplinary tools and methods in chemistry. Engagement refers to a learner’s focus, participation, and persistence on a given task. The REACT framework is centered around the learner’s engagement with the discipline of chemistry during a particular experience (e.g., A laboratory session, an active learning activity, a lecture session). Engagement in chemical thinking depends on both the resources the learner has as well as on the experience design and learning environment. Connecting these two aspects together moves scholars and practitioners away from deficit thinking approaches to a framework that acknowledges systemic power, resource, and participation differentials consistently hindering the scientific development of marginalized students. The REACT framework has the practical goal of providing researchers, practitioners, and evaluators with a theoretical foundation to improve learning environments in chemistry by giving them a measurable outcome: maximizing learner’s engagement. Furthermore, the framework is centered around the equity mechanism of epistemological border crossing which provides a clear guideline to transform the way we teach and learn chemistry.