Volume 2, No. 2Chimica nella Scuola n. 2 2026
Full Issue
Editoriale
XVII Scuola Nazionale di Ricerca Educativa e Didattica Chimica "Ulderico Segre"
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Didattica della Chimica Generale nei Percorsi Formativi (PF60/30/36)
This short article illustrates some aspects of the general chemistry courses in the teaching classes A028, A034, A050 and B12 activated in UNICAM in the PF60/30/36 enabling courses. These PF courses were introduced in Italy in the Prime Minister Decree of 4th August 2023 to offer an opportunity for postgraduate training qualifying for teaching in first and second levels secondary schools. In particular, this article describes teaching approaches based on four fundamental pillars of chemistry teaching: 1) disciplinary knowledge, 2) the importance of epistemological approaches, 3) the application and development of models, and 4) laboratory practices.
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Percorsi di formazione per insegnanti della classe A034: l’esperienza dell’Università di Pisa
The Initial Training Programmes for teachers (PF) started in 2024, a few years after the conclusion of former initiatives (SSIS, TFA, PAS) for secondary school teaching access at national level. PF represents a serious challenge for Universities to coordinate internal resources with different contributions from schools and local administrations in a short time frame. To set up efficient and useful courses, Universities need to convert the national legal framework for PF, indicating generic training objectives and fixing the exact timing, into actual programmes fleshing out the various planned educational activities with practical details. Besides providing future teachers with the required technical and scientific competences, the training programme should prepare them to view the school as a complex system, where teachers interact within each other as well as with pupils, families, and various public and private organizations in the local area.
This paper aims to present the experience at Pisa University during the first two years of Initial Training Programmes for teachers in chemical sciences (A034). In particular, the motivations for the choice of courses’ content and for work placement are discussed. This brief analysis allows us to identify strengths, weaknesses and main challenges of the chosen approach, and to highlight potential routes for improvement. -
Una riflessione sugli aspetti didattici del legame chimico come condivisione di elettroni e dell’elettronegatività
High school chemistry courses show several challenges. It is difficult to explain highly abstract and complex topics within the limited time available, and students may struggle to grasp concepts that can appear like dogma. Topics such as atomic structure, quantum mechanics and chemical bonding require a balance of scientific accuracy and clear, accessible explanations. In this work, we focus on how some key ideas can be taught more effectively, spanning from the Bohr atomic model to the chemical bonding and the concept of electronegativity. The Bohr model represents an important step for students, as it introduces the concept of quantization in a relatively simple and intuitive way, through discrete atomic radius and energy levels. From here, the transition to the quantum model of Schrödinger helps students to understand a new way of describing objects at the atomic scale, such as electrons, no longer as particles in orbits but as entities described by wavefunctions and quantum numbers. Next, with a sufficiently straightforward understanding of the quantum nature of the atom, we will examine the reasons why chemical bonds form, referring to the works of Heitler, London and Pauling. Finally, we will discuss how chemists simplify physical complexity by defining simple descriptors such as electronegativity, focusing on the works of Pauling and Mulliken. Overall, the article emphasises the importance of effective teaching strategies in chemistry, encouraging teachers to use models as helpful tools for guiding understanding rather than presenting them as absolute and rigid truths.
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PF 30, 36 e 60 CFU nella formazione iniziale dei docenti di chimica: criticità emerse e prospettive di miglioramento
The new Italian initial teacher education pathways (PF30, PF36 and PF60) have reshaped access to secondary teaching, but their first implementation also revealed structural tensions. Focusing on chemistry education (A034), this paper discusses time compression, overlap with school work, heterogeneous participant profiles, disciplinary fragilities and the strategic role of practicum. Special attention is devoted to the territorial distribution of authorized places and to the balance between public/state universities and private/online providers. While online environments may increase accessibility and flexibility for in-service participants, chemistry teacher education also requires strong disciplinary teaching, laboratory infrastructures, safety culture and specialized staff. The paper argues that the quality of initial training should therefore be assessed not only in terms of access, but also in terms of disciplinary depth, tutorial support and integration with real school contexts.
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La chimica nei percorsi di formazione docenti a UniMORE per le classi A034, A050 e A028
This contribution presents the teacher training programs activated at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UniMORE) for the A034, A050, and A028 teaching classes, with particular focus on Chemical Sciences and Technologies. For class A034, the 16 disciplinary ECTS credits in chemistry are described within the 30, 36, and 60-credit pathways, distinguishing between theoretical (5 hours per credit) and laboratory activities (10 hours per credit). Class A050 includes 5 chemistry credits shared with A034, while A028 provides a compact version in 2 chemistry credits tailored to lower secondary education.
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La chimica nei percorsi di formazione iniziale (PFI): analisi comparativa delle classi A028, A034 e A050
The 17th edition of the “Ulderico Segre” National School of Educational Research and Chemistry Teaching, held in Bertinoro in December 2025, focused on Initial Teacher Training Programs for classes involving chemical content: A028, A034, and A050. The contributions presented and the collaborative discussion highlighted the difficulties encountered in implementing these programs and the needs identified by the participating colleagues. In particular, the need of further opportunities for discussion and sharing of the teaching materials produced was emphasized.
Convegno 2025 della Divisione Didattica
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L’alchimia delle parole: dialogo tra chimica e letteratura
Chemistry, often perceived as an abstract and technical discipline, has in fact permeated literature since its origins. Elements, reactions, metaphors for the properties and transformations of matter appear in sacred texts, medieval poems, Elizabethan drama, and the modern novels. This article offers a journey through some major literary works, demonstrating how chemistry – explicit or implicit – becomes a narrative, symbolic, and cognitive tool. This journey could offer chemistry education new insights, capable of connecting science, history, creativity, and imagination.
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Intelligenza artificiale e didattica: dalla previsione alla comprensione scientifica
Artificial Intelligence is often presented to schools as a teaching aid or tutoring tool. However, its most important consequence for science education is epistemological rather than technological. Machine learning systems can produce accurate predictions without relying on explicit theoretical models. This challenges a fundamental assumption of experimental sciences such as chemistry, where understanding is traditionally grounded on the chain observation–model–prediction–verification. The presence of predictive systems without explanatory mechanisms makes it necessary to clarify in teaching the difference between correlation and causation, and between performance and understanding. Rather than replacing laboratory activity, AI highlights its role as the place where scientific explanation is distinguished from statistical adaptation. The article argues that AI can be used not primarily to automate exercises but to expose misconceptions, compare empirical predictions with theoretical models, and show the physical cost of information in terms of energy and limits of computation. In this perspective, artificial intelligence becomes an opportunity to reinforce scientific thinking and to redefine the educational function of chemistry in the age of predictive machines.
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L’uso degli assistenti virtuali per la didattica adattiva: l’esperienza IMPAR-AI in Italia e scenari futuri
This contribution will first provide a general introduction to the context of technological innovation in the educational sector. It will then present the rationale behind the IMPAR-AI project, aimed at understanding how Artificial Intelligence can be used in Italian schools and at assessing its potential benefits for learning and school organization. Finally, the paper will look ahead to the future by exploring the opportunities and challenges associated with the introduction of augmented reality in the Italian school system, highlighting how these technologies may contribute to transforming the educational experience.
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C’è qualcosa di nuovo sotto il Sole, anzi d’antico
The only solution to the ecological and climate crises of our time is now the elimination of greenhouse gas emissions and a complete transition to producing electricity solely from renewable sources. In the shortest possible time.
Wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, biomass. Extraordinary solar and photovoltaic technologies guarantee excellent efficiencies in converting the sun’s rays—rays that are evenly spread and distributed, low cost, and particularly abundant in the poorest countries of Africa or the Far East. And wind farms on land or offshore designed to set up large power plants on windy ridges or in marine parks.
Sun, earth, water, air, wind, fire: these are our energy sources for the future. But weren’t these the archè, the principle and driving force of life according to the ancient philosophers?
The very same elements we can now harness thanks to advanced technologies that have to be guided by political, social, and environmental awareness: innovative technologies that allow decentralized and low-cost energy production and energy communities with high added social value—important tools in the fight against global and widespread energy poverty. Technologies to produce clean and renewable energy, in light of the knowledge accumulated over centuries about the functioning of the Earth system. -
Il contributo della Divisione Didattica della Società Chimica Italiana alle Indicazioni Nazionali
This paper discusses the role of the Educational Division of the Italian Chemical Society (DDSCI) in shaping and supporting the implementation of the National Curriculum Guidelines for Chemistry education in Italy. Drawing on the pedagogical perspectives of Arons and Dewey, it emphasizes the shift from a teaching model based on the transmission of established knowledge toward one focused on understanding, reasoning, and reconstruction of scientific thought. The DDSCI promotes epistemological and historical approaches to chemistry teaching, encouraging connections between scientific laws and psychological processes of learning. Specific proposals for lower and upper secondary education are presented, emphasizing active inquiry, conceptual reconstruction, and the formative value of comprehension in developing scientific literacy and critical thinking.
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Il valore formativo della teoria atomica secondo Cannizzaro
This paper examines the educational and formative value of nineteenth-century atomic theory, with particular reference to the thought of Stanislao Cannizzaro. Through the historical-conceptual journey from Dalton to Avogadro and Cannizzaro’s subsequent clarification, it is argued that a historical-critical approach represents a privileged tool for developing scientific thinking in students. Atomic theory emerges not as an absolute truth, but as an interpretive framework capable of giving meaning to experimental data.
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Dalla bakelite al solfodiene di Primo Levi: tra chimica, letteratura e vita
In 1907, Leo Baekeland obtained bakelite (phenol-formaldehyde resin), the first synthetic polymer, destined to replace shellac (a natural biopolymer) in the components of the nascent electrical industry. The synthesis took place in a specially designed reactor, the bakelizer, where controlled temperature and reduced pressure allow the removal of condensation water: by exploiting Le Châtelier’s principle, the reaction equilibrium is shifted toward polymer formation, making the process irreversible and kinetically controlled.
The preparation of phenol-formaldehyde resin represented a milestone in chemistry and chemical engineering, laying the foundations for the subsequent development of synthetic polymers. From this perspective, it constitutes a classic example of polymerization logic, valuable both from a historical and didactic standpoint. A significant echo of this discovery can be found in Primo Levi’s The Periodic Table, in the story Sulfur.
Starting in 1936, Italy adopted an autarkic economy in response to the sanctions imposed by the League of Nations. In that context, polysulfide rubber, with its modest properties, was produced. Levi recounts the misadventure of a worker named Lanza, dealing with a bakelizer to obtain the prepolymer for the elastomer. With his extraordinary ability to merge science and literature, Levi transforms chemistry into poetic prose and a metaphor for the values of life. -
Dall’età della pietra a Excalibur: storytelling scientifico e percorso verticale sui metalli per la scuola primaria e secondaria di primo grado
This paper discusses how a conference contribution on storytelling in chemistry education can be transformed into a vertical didactic pathway for primary school and lower secondary school. The proposed narrative thread is the long history of metals, from the Stone Age to bronze, iron, Excalibur, Volta’s pile, modern batteries and recycling. The article argues that scientific storytelling should not be seen as a simple decorative narrative, but as a cognitive tool able to connect observation, manipulation, imagination and conceptual understanding. The chapter on the Stone Age and the “Prova del Fabbro” introduces the recognition of materials through simple properties such as hardness, malleability and response to heat. The Bronze Age develops the idea of alloy, while ironworking and the Excalibur episode allow students to reason on process, treatment and mechanical properties. The pathway is modular, interdisciplinary and adaptable to laboratories, escape rooms and game-based learning activities. Its educational value lies in making chemistry accessible, meaningful and motivating for younger learners.
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Interventi didattici volti a superare le concezioni alternative in chimica: una revisione sistematica della letteratura
Alternative conceptions are widespread, resistant to change, and hinder effective learning. The objective of this research project is to analyze, through a systematic review of the literature, the characteristics, theoretical framework, and effectiveness of instructional interventions aimed at overcoming alternative conceptions in chemistry among secondary school and university students. In November 2024, a systematic review was conducted across 24 databases on the ProQuest portal. The search returned a total of 1,618 articles, which were assessed to determine their compliance with the eligibility criteria. A total of 84 intervention studies were included in the systematic review. The analyzed studies are diverse in terms of duration, included populations, covered topics, theoretical backgrounds, teaching methodologies, and assessment methods. All the interventions demonstrated that the use of an active teaching methodology is more effective than traditional lectures in promoting conceptual change. The adoption of active teaching methods can enhance the learning of chemistry. Future studies could investigate which type of active learning is most effective for specific topics or student groups.
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Insegnare la molecular dynamics come pratica interpretativa in un contesto di Team-Based Learning
Molecular dynamics is increasingly introduced in chemistry and life science courses, yet students often experience difficulties in interpreting simulation outputs and relating different descriptors to a coherent explanation. In this context, molecular dynamics can be approached as an interpretative practice rather than as a set of techniques. The experience described here was implemented in a graduate-level physical chemistry course for biotechnology students within a Team-Based Learning framework, designed to promote discussion, comparison of viewpoints and collective decision making based on available evidence. Particular attention is given to how students move from a descriptive reading of individual indicators to a more integrated interpretation through group interaction. The implementation and the observed learning dynamics are discussed, highlighting both strengths and critical aspects. The role of guided questioning, also supported by AI, is considered in relation to the development of students’ ability to construct and justify interpretations. The experience suggests that focusing on interpretation and decision making can contribute to making physical chemistry more meaningful and closer to scientific practice.
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Le forze intermolecolari e gli stati condensati attraverso l’angolo di contatto
This paper shows methodologies and results of a laboratory course in the frame of the POC program addressed to scientific high school students. The main objective of the activity was the use of contact angle measurements in a simple and easy to handle mode to explore surface properties of liquids and solids and search correlations with intermolecular forces. As a final task students have fabricated a superhydrophobic wood surface and have been guided in the interpretation of this extreme interface behavior.
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Analisi Green delle Microplastiche nella sabbia dei litorali italiani: una proposta di Citizen Science
Microplastics are a dramatic emerging problem for human health and ecosystems. Since we cannot pollute to quantify pollution, during the Green Chemistry and Outreach course, taught to a fifth-grade class at ITT Montani in Fermo, we evaluated the impact and effectiveness of analytical strategies currently used to monitor microplastics in sand. We worked to substantially improve them using CLIL and Inquiry-Based Learning methodology. The citizen science campaign was made possible by cooperation with the non-governmental organization Venice Lagoon Plastic Free, which coordinated the field sampling campaigns and funded them entirely through the MICRO 1.0 and 2.0 projects. Finally, we engaged in outreach campaigns as part of the EU Ocean Mission activities.
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Fare chimica con il latte
This paper illustrates an interdisciplinary educational experience aimed at transforming the study of biomolecules into active scientific investigation. Through the Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) methodology, students explored the nature of cow’s milk not only as a food, but as an extraordinarily complex chemical-physical system. The program integrates the study of colloidal systems with experimental protocols for the separation and characterization of milk’s main components (caseins, whey proteins, lactose, and mineral salts). Particular attention was paid to lactose intolerance, as a health issue, and to the laboratory production of lactose-free milk. Furthermore, the valorization of dairy waste from a circular economy perspective was explored, with a focus on its reuse for the production of bioplastics, textile fibers, adhesives, and artistic applications. The activity allowed students to connect abstract theoretical knowledge to everyday phenomena, promoting scientific citizenship skills in line with the goals of the 2030 Agenda.
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Gamification e pensiero critico nella didattica delle scienze: una riflessione a partire dall’esperienza del Detective Game della Scienza
The Science Detective Game is a board game devised by the Bioethics Unit of the Italian National Institute of Health to explore, in a playful way, the dynamics of disinformation and the infodemic that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The game, illustrated by Lucia Baldassarri with graphics by Pietro Maiozzi, was tested as part of the European Researchers’ Night 2025, at the stand ‘Who killed Science during COVID?’
The game was created primarily to stimulate critical thinking and awareness of anti-science among participants, promoting a critical approach based on verifying information and evaluating sources. Taking on the role of detectives, participants are tasked with investigating who spread fake news, in what context and through what mechanisms during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
Through themed cards, unexpected twists, and interactions with researchers, the game offers an active learning experience in which participants may occasionally revisit their hypotheses, mirroring the revision process typical of the scientific method. In this sense, the game serves as an effective tool for making complex concepts accessible and fostering greater awareness of the value of evidence and factchecking, thereby contributing to the dialogue between science and the public.