Abstract

Identifying a problem and attempting to solve it has been regarded as the main stimulus for scientific research. In the solving process, conceptual variations can occur through which scientific knowledge (theories, methods and languages) evolves. This scheme can be applied to the teaching of chemistry. Solving problems as a learning strategy involves rethinking the problems to be similar to learning problems. In this paper, we discuss and illustrate the contributions of S. Toulmin regarding the formation of scientific knowledge as a model that can inspire the design of problems to enable learning during chemistry classes. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.