MathML Based Support Materials for use in a

Chemistry Enhancement Course for Teachers

Paul C Yates

Keele University

United Kingdom

Mathematics in the United Kingdom

• Concerns about falling standards

• Report commissioned by engineers and physicists

• Difficulty in recruiting appropriately qualified teachers

Mathematics and Chemistry

• Majority of students on many courses have not studied mathematics post-16

• Some students do not realise that some chemistry is mathematical

• Remedial mathematics courses are provided

• Often supplied by Chemistry (not Mathematics) Department

Mathematics in Context

• Increases relevance

• Concentrates mathematics where it is really required

• Should help to increase student motivation

Contents

Contents.pdf

Publishers

• Chapman & Hall

• Kluwer

• Stanley Thornes

• Nelson Thornes

• Taylor and Francis

Chemistry Enhancement Course

To teach key chemical principles to prospective PGCE students who have a background in a chemistry related discipline such as Chemical Engineering or Forensic Science or who have graduated with a Chemistry degree but have not practiced chemistry for a number of years. Students progressing on from the course will be expected to be able to teach to A2 level standard.

Mathematical Requirements of A Level Chemistry

• Arithmetic and computation

• Algebra

• Geometry

• Graphs

• Handling data

Mathematics for Chemistry Module

The aim of this module is to present mathematics in a chemical context. It is designed to equip participants with the mathematical skills they will require to tackle the course successfully, and to give them the confidence in their ability so to do. Furthermore this module encompasses a wide range of Chemistry content that will give ‘tasters’ of the subsequent ‘Foundations in Chemistry’ modules.

Delivery

• Mathematicians like blackboards!

• Students expectations of technology use have increased

• Desirable to demonstrate use of technology to prospective teachers

Content of Web Site

Development of mathematical resources in the context of chemistry is very time consuming, so reuse existing resources.

Chemical Calculations: the E-Book Version

Contents.pdf

Chapter2.pdf

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using PDF

• Quick to implement• Commercial

possibilities?

• Poor quality• Does not scale well• Mathematical

content not accessible

Why Develop Enhanced Materials?

• Make mathematical content available

• Increased accessibility

• Customisable

• Can be targetted

MathML materials are easily scaled

Advantages and Disadvantages of using

MathML• Scalable• Mathematical

content accessible• Looks professional

• Difficult to write• Browser setup must

be compatible• Fonts must be

installed

Writing MathML

Combination of Amaya and manual edit using Wordpad

Specific MathML (XML) Problems

• Remember lower case

• <img> and </img>

• When to use (what is maths?)

• Alternative representations

• Proper use of italics and defaults

Further Developments

• Extend MathML materials

• Use a screen reader

Conclusions

• Efficient to use existing intellectual material• PDF allows fast mounting of material but

inflexible and variable quality• MathML flexible but very time consuming• Compromise of E-book with specific MathML

resources where appropriate and as time allows