The thesis contains four topics from organic chemistry and biochemistry processed into the structure of chemical experiments and laboratory works. These topics are Proteins, Light and fire, Curiosities and Professions. Some experiments are accompanied by motivational text, including additional information or interesting facts. Each experiment was verified in the laboratory at the Department of Teaching & Didactics of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague. Each experiment was photographically documented. Two of them were also video taped and these videos with all pictures are on the CD accompanying this thesis.

For many reasons, Chemistry is not among the most popular subjects at Secondary schools. Many students find this subject challenging and difficult to understand. Experiments in Chemistry mainly drive the students' motivation for the subject. Unfortunately, they are often missing during Chemistry lessons, due to high demands on preparation time as well as safety hazards or a lack of chemicals required. Although a real experiment is difficult to replace, a video experiment might be a useful and sufficient alternative when lacking preparation time or the required chemicals, or in case of experiments with safety risks. This thesis therefore focuses on building a video experiment database by extending and improving the basic Chemistry Experiment Database located on the website www.studiumchemie.cz. This is a website administrated by the Faculty of Science of Charles University in Prague, serving as support for Secondary school Chemistry teachers. The database itself was created as a part of my bachelor thesis. The database was now extended and many improvements were made, following the results of a survey among Chemistry teachers, who asked for more experiments in Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry. 96 new experiments were added, with regard to the teachers' suggestions. Currently the database contains...

UHERČÍKOVÁ, G. : "Become a detective" (Topic work focused on forensic analysis). Master thesis. Prague, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, Department of Teaching & Didacties of Chemistry, 2013. This thesis deals with the preparation of a draft project for secondary school students on the theme "Become a detective." This is a complex project that is focused not only on the information of biology and chemistry, but also for forensic analysis. The theoretical part is focused on a general production project, forensic analysis, fingerprints, DNA and qualitative analysis. Theory of this part helps pupils and teachers to understand the problem. The practical part contains the whole project within worksheets to copyright solution for teachers. Worksheets are designed to help students manage the entire project. Materials designed for students are attached to this thesis. The project was tested on 30. 4. 2013 in the laboratory of the Department of Teaching and Didactics of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague. The project involved 13 pupils from Gymnasium Omská, Prague, 10.

Considerando que professores de Química utilizam atividades experimentais que focam a comprovação de conceitos já ensinados, empregando roteiros altamente estruturados, e que têm dificuldades de se distanciarem e avaliarem suas próprias atividades de forma crítica, neste trabalho estudamos como um processo de reflexão orientada pode levar os professores a avaliar e reestruturar suas práticas docentes. Para tal, foi realizada uma ação de formação continuada centrada na experimentação como recurso para promover a aprendizagem. A investigação foi realizada com professores de Química de algumas escolas públicas do Ensino Médio em Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, por meio de encontros individuais, nas escolas, e coletivos, na universidade. Nesses encontros foram comparados modelos de atividades experimentais baseadas na investigação e modelos tradicionais, foram feitos exercícios de elaboração de questões que ajudassem os alunos a responder o problema proposto, e que envolvessem habilidades cognitivas de ordens mais altas. Os planejamentos experimentais, foram discutidos pelo grupo e modificados, ou não, pelos professores, de acordo com sugestões apresentadas, considerando a perspectiva de atividades investigativas. Foram analisados os dados de três professores, que participaram da maioria dos encontros. As concepções explícitas e implícitas, manifestadas pelos professores ao longo do processo formativo, foram analisadas segundo três dimensões: alunos, prática docente e atividade experimental. Para tanto, foram construídos mapas cognitivos baseados nas manifestações verbais dos professores em diferentes momentos do processo formativo. A interpretação desses mapas permitiu identificar obstáculos e perspectivas de desenvolvimento apresentadas pelos professores para o processo de ensino por investigação. Também, foram analisados os modelos didáticos pessoais sobre ensino e aprendizagem com intuito de comparar as concepções reveladas nesses modelos com as apresentadas nos outros momentos do processo. A participação do professor no processo formativo foi avaliada com base em duas categorias de análise para as manifestações verbais: as proposições e as perspectivas reflexivas de seus discursos, estabelecendo-se os níveis de participação: formal, pessoal e reflexiva. Os resultados mostraram que os professores têm dificuldades em abordar e conduzir atividades experimentais tendo em vista a construção do conhecimento pelos alunos. Algumas das principais dificuldades dizem respeito a problematizar as atividades práticas e solicitar a elaboração de hipóteses. As concepções explícitas manifestadas pelos professores às vezes se contrapõem às concepções implícitas sobre o processo de ensino e aprendizagem e as atividades experimentais. Entretanto, os roteiros elaborados pelos professores apresentaram evoluções gradativas em relação à perspectiva investigativa no ensino. Dois dos três professores parecem incorporar tal perspectiva em suas práticas docentes, favorecendo seu desenvolvimento profissional. A ação formativa desenvolvida favoreceu o desenvolvimento de processos metacognitivos dos professores frente ao ensino por investigação. / High school chemistry teachers are used to plan laboratory activities just to demonstrate concepts already taught. Those teachers have usually difficulties to critically analyze their own teaching practices. Thus, this study aims to investigate how an oriented reflection process supports the efforts of teachers to reflect and evaluate their teaching practices. An in-service course centred on practical activities as a resource to promote learning was offered to chemistry teachers of high schools of the city of Uberlandia, Minas Gerais. Collective meetings as well as individual meetings occurred between the teachers and the researcher throughout a whole school year. In these meetings, the teachers were invited to analyze their own laboratory teaching as well as those of their peers. Inquiry-based activities were provided to be compared to the traditional ones, the teachers asked to formulate questions aimed at helping their students to achieve the answer to a proposed problem and at promoting higher order cognitive skills. The teachers rewritten their teaching plans considering inquiry-based approach, which were discussed and modified according to the suggestions presented by the group. Data from three teachers who attended almost all meetings were analyzed. Their explicit and implicit conceptions, expressed throughout the process, were analyzed according to three dimensions: students, teaching practice and experimental activity. To express the ideas of each teacher, four cognitive maps were built, in the beginning, during, in the end of the process and one year after the process was finished. The interpretation of these maps allowed us to identify obstacles and development perspectives presented by the teachers about the teaching of inquiry-based activities. Also, we analyzed their personal pedagogical models in order to compare the conceptions revealed by these models with those expressed throughout the formative process. The effective participation in the process was evaluated by means of two categories of analysis of the verbal manifestations: the propositions and the reflective perspectives of the teacher speech. Three levels of participation were built accordingly to these two categories: formal, personal and reflective participation. The results showed that teachers have difficulties in planning inquiry-based experimental activities especially with regard to pose to the student a problem to be solved and to request the generation of hypotheses. Explicit conceptions about teaching, learning and experimental activities expressed by the teachers are sometimes contradictory to their implicit ideas. However, the experimental activities planned by the teachers showed a gradual evolution regarding to inquiry-based perspective. Two of the three teachers have incorporated this perspective into their classrooms, which may have contributed to foster their professional development. The formative process favored the development of metacognitive processes concerning to inquiry-based teaching and learning.

"Illuminating experiments I" is the second part of web-based database of chemical experiments and its suitability is especially for secondary schools. Seventeen experiments are presented in total (on internet from December 2010). Didactic elaboration includs clips, instructions and principles of experiments. Teaching aplications are suggested by questions and tasks. http://home.zf.jcu.cz/public/departments/kch/didaktika/didaktika.htm

"Organic chemistry" is the fifth part of web-based database of chemical experiments. Eight experiments are presented in total in the diploma paper (on internet from May 2010). Didactic elaboration includs clips, instructions and principles of experiments. Teaching aplications are suggested by questions and tasks. http://home.zf.jcu.cz/public/departments/kch/didaktika/didaktika.htm

``Organic chemistry{\crq}q is the fifth part of web-based database of chemical experiments. Thirteen experiments are presented in total in the diploma paper (on internet from May 2010). Didactic elaboration includs clips, instructions and principles of experiments. Teaching aplications are suggested by questions and tasks. http://home.zf.jcu.cz/public/departments/kch/didaktika/didaktika.htm

``Illuminating experiments I{\crqq} is the second part of web-based database of chemical ex-periments and its suitability is especially for secondary schools. Seventeen experiments are presented in total (on internet from August 2005). Didactic elaboration includs clips, instructions and principles of experiments. Teaching aplications are suggested by ques-tions and tasks. http://home.zf.jcu.cz/public/departments/kch/didaktika/didaktika.htm

``Laboratory preparation of inorganic compounds{\crqq} is the fourth part of web-based data-base of chemical experiments. This compartment is suitable especially for secondary and high schools. Fifteen experiments are presented in total (on internet from December 2006). Didactic elaboration includs clips, instructions and principles of experiments. Teaching aplications are suggested by questions and tasks. http://home.zf.jcu.cz/public/departments/kch/didaktika/didaktika.htm

``Illuminating experiments II{\crqq} is the third part of web-based database of chemical ex-periments. This compartment concurs ``Illuminating experiments I{\crqq} and its suitability is especially for primary schools. Seventeen experiments are presented in total (on internet from December 2006). Didactic elaboration includs clips, instructions and principles of experiments. Teaching aplications are suggested by questions and tasks. http://home.zf.jcu.cz/public/departments/kch/didaktika/didaktika.htm