Professor Savita Ladage

I truly believe that good work often gets recognized in one way or another. Thus, it is important to make efforts towards making chemistry education meaningful in whatever ways one can. Perhaps, initially, there can be a movement of frustration depending on your context, but perseverance often helps. In my opinion, sharing experiences is important as it may motivate others to start such efforts. 

I have been working with chemistry teachers, and I am equally enriched through my interactions with them. Teachers bring excellent knowledge of what works and fails in their classroom setting. I feel it is meaningful to work with practitioners. Such collaborations help to percolate research-informed innovative teaching-learning practices related to chemistry education in classroom settings.

Both my parents are excellent teachers. My father has a background in chemistry. Thus, within the family often, there were discussions about education and chemistry in general. In school, I had an excellent science (chemistry) teacher and her teaching helped me to develop an interest in chemistry in addition to the influence of my father.

At undergraduate and postgraduate levels, I had excellent chemistry teachers. Their teachings helped me consolidate my interest in chemistry. Additionally, as a student, I was good at explaining difficulties faced by my friends while studying. Through the discussions with friends and teachers, I realised my interest in chemistry education.

When I joined the PhD programme in science education, I got an opportunity to interact with people involved in different content domains with a serious interest in (science) education. These interactions helped me to get acquainted with various issues related to the educational field and their complexities. I worked extensively in school systems which were not privileged in terms of resources, and students in these schools came from lower socio-economic strata. This extensive field experience gave me insights about ground realities of the educational field. It convinced me to do work in the educational domain.

About chemistry education: I also started reading articles in chemistry education journals, and I came across articles by Professor Alex Johnstone, who influenced me the most. Additionally,  the work by Professors Diane Bunce and Norman Reid has inspired me considerably to shape my thinking about chemistry education.

I interact extensively with chemistry teachers, especially at UG levels. Often I see them making significant efforts towards imparting quality chemistry education in their own systems. Often these systems do not offer great freedom and flexibility. However, still, the motivated teachers try to do their best. Their struggle often motivates me to keep doing my work.

Students often come with excellent questions. These questions are a reflection of their struggles to understand concepts in chemistry. These questions and doubts inspire me to look at given chemistry-related situations from different perspectives. The discussions with them have made me a better teacher and have enhanced my own understanding of chemistry.

Chemistry is central to our lives. However, often chemistry becomes too abstract in nature soon after it is introduced to students in formal school systems. Students do not get enough opportunities to explore materials and gather enriching experiences about materials at a perceptible level. Teachers also struggle to teach (abstract) concepts of chemistry. The chemistry curricula , especially the lab education, often is not related to our daily life and conducted in a mundane manner. Thus, hand-on experiences associated with chemistry are also not engaging. Due to all these reasons, chemistry education is important and it needs to be connected to our lives.

Chemistry teachers, students, my colleagues at HBCSE and my family members have supported me in my career

My choice will be Radium. It is a shining star. Being radioactive, it has an interesting life. On its own death (decay), it gives birth to a new one (element).