EDUCATION ABOUT DIET THROUGH CHEMISTRY LEARNING

In the last century chemistry played an important role in improving the quality of living. However, uncontrolled application of many chemistry achievements has resulted in a range of problems (environmental pollution, food production…) requiring solution in the current century. Solving the problems, apart from chemists, should involve every individual who will take care of what he is taking or giving back to the living environment, who will take care of his health that well-balanced diet is one of the prerequisites for. Starting from the aforementioned, it was assumed that the introduction of foodstuffs as teaching content and/or teaching aids in the teaching of chemistry, at different levels of education would provide for observation/problem solving of a well-balanced diet and developing of chemistry literacy, vice versa. Therefore, the present paper examines the possibilities of presenting various foodstuffs and additives at the beginning of teaching themes (transition to scientific concepts is best realized through spontaneous concepts), at the end of teaching themes (systematizing numerous scientific concepts) and within knowledge testing. Investigations were carried out with primary school students (103) by applying diverse teaching methods and forms of work. Such approach to learning (from spontaneous concepts through chemistry concepts to well-balanced diets, or from foodstuffs over spontaneous concepts to scientific ones) brought about the climate, where a student gets the impression that he only expands the knowledge he already possesses, the possibility of developing chemistry (scientific) literacy and accomplishment of education about the importance of a well-balanced diet.