Chemistry Teachers’ Attitudes and Needs When Dealing with Linguistic Heterogeneity in the Classroom - Affective Dimensions in Chemistry Education - page 271

Chemistry Teachers ' Attitudes and Needs
When Dealing with Linguistic Heterogeneity
in the Classroom

Silvija Markic

Abstract Though language and chemistry are seen as two extremes on a spectrum,
language is still one of the central mediators of any learning process. To show the
importance of language and linguistic skills, the chapter will discuss the role of
linguistic issues for learning in general and of chemistry education in particular
from different points of view. Finally, to sum everything up and since the teachers
are a key factor for changing the situation in schools, the chapter will list the
attitudes and perceptions that chemistry teachers hold when it comes to dealing
with linguistic heterogeneity in the classroom. Some examples of good practice for
teachers

professional development will be given.

'

1 The Importance of Language in Chemistry Education

It is not possible for humans to imagine a world without language. People need
language—quite independent of whichever language it may be—for communica-
tion purposes and to express personal ideas, wishes, knowledge, needs and feelings.
Furthermore, language helps us to think, to understand, to communicate and to
express all kinds of information and thoughts. This is especially the case when we
are dealing with teaching and learning in a school setting. Is it possible to imagine
school—in our case chemistry lessons—without language? are we as teachers able
to explain the chemical bonding in the water molecule to our students without the
aid of language? Can we even think without employing language? In most cases,
the average person will answer these questions with a resounding “No!” Language
is a central aspect of any teaching and learning process taking place in a school
setting in general and in chemistry classrooms in particular. Furthermore, school
lessons largely occur at the linguistic level most of the time, quite independently of
the kind of lesson: student-centred work phases, teacher-centred experiments, pre-
sentations, experiments, etc. Thus, all teaching and learning activities are primarily
based on language, regardless of whether they are written or oral in nature. Many