Concepts of green chemistry and instructional management

Abstract

     This article aims to present and analyze teaching and learning situations using the concept of green chemistry along with the expected obstacles and also the interest in teaching and learning based on this concept to provide maximum benefits to students and generations of chemists. A practical approach to the successful teaching of green chemistry includes four aspects: 1) designing courses by interpolating green chemistry concepts in basic subjects; 2) using real-world case studies; 3) qualitative and quantitative measuring by focusing assessment and decision-making skills; and 4) providing the availability of learning resources such as instructors, textbooks, and laboratories. The teaching situations based on the concept of green chemistry occur mainly in higher education. However, there are some limitations such as the lack of accessible information for teachers or students on the concept of green chemistry. The concept of green chemistry to describe chemical synthesis is not included in textbooks and is invisible in the undergraduate curriculum. For basic education such as secondary school level in the USA, the development of green chemistry is apparent in teaching at the K-12 levels. Nevertheless, this concept has still not been explicitly recognized in the basic education curriculum in Thailand. Most teaching of the green chemistry concept comes from a partnership between government agencies and private organizations through various projects.