Chemistry with a view to Education

The study programme is a part of a double-subject programme and constitutes the first level of the university studies leading to a teaching qualification for secondary schools. The goal of the study is to provide general knowledge and give a good orientation in both study branches together with the basics of pedagogy and psychology. It should prepare graduates for the follow-up Master's study programme of Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in Chemistry.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• understand basic terms from pedagogy and didactics
• understand actual trends in teaching
• to manage a classroom with help of the teacher
• to manage a classroom with help of the teacher
• understand basics of recent school politics and understand actual trends in education
• apply the knowledge of basic chemical elements and compounds
• work individually and safely in the laboratory
• make basic chemical calculations

Graduates can use their skills in various positions in basic and applied research. Although they are not fully qualified for teaching, they can prepare special activities and seminars at primary and secondary schools (e.g. seminars for gifted students, preparation for the Olympiads and different competitions, or for entrance exams to higher education institutions). They can also get involved in the popularization of chemistry. Graduates can pursue their studies in the follow-up Master's study programme – to become fully qualified teachers of chemistry at secondary schools.

XS090 Initial teacher training

During the course student stays at the secondary school where, in both subjects of his study, he/she takes at least 7 lessons of sitting in the classes and 3x10-15 minutes of his own teaching (at least in three different lessons). Students stays at school a half day weekly for a period at least 6 weeks.

During the course students gets to know working at the secondary school, pedagogical documentation, he/she assists the teacher with preparing experiments, correcting homework and tests, etc., in the total range of 7 hours in both of the subjects of his study.

Main objectives can be summarized as follows: to get information on the practical teaching of the subject (sitting in the classes); to get basic acquirements with practical teaching; to get information on working at the secondary school.

The standard length of a bachelor thesis is between 30 and 50 pages, including figures, graphs, table of contents and list of references. The bachelor's thesis usually includes a didactic aspect, typically the processing of an assignment for a practical course from the compulsory curriculum of the Chemistry programme or the processing of test assignments for one of the lectures, including their implementation into the electronic testing system in the MU Information System. Students should demonstrate in their bachelor thesis the ability to absorb information from original sources and the ability to work critically with professional texts. The rules for the preparation of bachelor's/diploma theses are regulated by Dean's Measure No. 1/2012 - Guidelines for the preparation of bachelor's, diploma and rigorous theses at the Faculty of Science of MU.

After the successful completion of the Bachelor's study programme, students can pursue their studies in any Master's study programme (after satisfying the admission requirements). At the Faculty of Science of MU – to become fully qualified teachers of chemistry at the secondary schools, students can apply for admission to an Upper-secondary teacher-training follow-up Master's degree programme.