The SOLO Classification Guidance-based Problem Chain Teaching Of High School Chemistry Classroom

The GCSE Chemistry Curriculum Standards(2017 Edition Revised 2020)emphasises the implementation of a problem-based teaching model in secondary school teaching,guiding students to construct a framework for thinking about complex problem solving and fostering innovative thinking and higher-level thinking.The classroom is not only a platform for imparting knowledge,but also an important environment for stimulating students’ thinking and developing their creative abilities.The design of problem chains in today’s classrooms lacks gradation and hierarchy,is not well targeted to thinking,and reflective feedback about the classroom lacks depth.Therefore,there is a need to change perspectives and use the SOLO classification theory,a framework for assessing the structure of thinking theory,to guide the design of problem chains in high school chemistry classrooms.A questionnaire survey of several frontline teachers revealed many problems with current high school chemistry classroom questioning,such as:(1)Teachers lack theoretical knowledge and do not pay enough attention to higher order thinking.(2)The teaching of problem chains focuses on teaching knowledge and not enough on developing students’ thinking.(3)Lack of technical guidance in question chain design.(4)The Principles of Chemical Reactions module requires higher-order thinking,but there is a lack of quality problem chain resources.Through literature review,the author compares the relevant studies on problem chain teaching and SOLO classification theory,and proposes the principles of problem chain design for high school chemistry based on SOLO classification theory: basic,moderate and scientific principles,hierarchical and developmental principles,and contextual and transferable principles.The problem design strategy is constructed:analyse the curriculum standards and establish the level of teaching objectives;sort out the content of the teaching materials and determine the level of problem thinking;carefully set up problem situations to induce students’ independent investigation;throw out core problem chains to guide the solution of problems;carefully pre-design subproblems to improve the filling of problem chains;and evaluate and reflect to promote the development of students’ higher-order thinking.By constructing structured,hierarchical and challenging problem chains to guide students in their observation,thinking,reasoning,summarising and reflecting activities,we promote the development of students’ thinking and create a chemistry classroom that integrates teaching,learning and assessment.Based on the examination of the feasibility and effectiveness of the teaching strategies,the content of the Principles of Chemical Reactions module in the new textbook was used as a vehicle for follow-up assessment using questionnaires and postlesson quizzes to verify the impact of the problem chain design under the SOLO categorical assessment system on students’ classroom performance,learning attitudes,knowledge transfer and thinking structure areas.The study shows that:(1)In teaching practice,putting problem chains under the guidance of SOLO classification and evaluation theory into use can promote positive changes in students’ thinking level structure,classroom performance,and learning attitude.(2)The problem chains guided by SOLO categorical assessment theory can effectively improve students’ performance in chemistry.Therefore,the problem chain teaching based on the SOLO classification theory proposed in this paper is feasible and effective.