Marcel Simon

Marcel Simon

Group Member | PhD Student
Marcel Simon
Image: Christoph Bley

General information

  • Curriculum Vitae
    • since November 2017:
      PhD student in the working group Didactics of Chemistry at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena

    • October 2017:
      Graduation of the teacher training program with the First State Examination

    • 2014 - 2017:
      Leader of working groups and substitute teacher at the Montessori School Jena

    • 2011 - 2017:
      Study of the teaching profession at grammar schools for the subjects biology and chemistry according to the Jena Model of Teacher Education at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena

    • 2011:
      A-levels at the State Grammar School 'Erasmus Reinhold' Saalfeld (Saale)

    • 2008:
      Secondary school leaving certificate at the State Secondary School Kaulsdorf (Saale)

    • 1991:
      Born in Saalfeld (Saale), Thuringia (Germany)
  • Responsibilities

    Core tasks:

    • student teaching courses
    • administration/management
    • organization and implementation of the student laboratory of the working group didactics of chemistry
    • coordination of the chemistry laboratory of the Student Research Center Jena

    Further tasks:

    • establish and maintain of student lab collaborations with primary/secondary schools.
    • supervision of seminar and examination papers
    • safety officer and first aider of the working group didactics of chemistry
    • inventory manager
    • member of the editorial team for the maintenance of the working group homepage

    Further fields of interest:

    • natural sciences in elementary school and kindergarten
    • teaching of chemistry in the context of reform educational concepts, e.g. Maria Montessori
    • interdisciplinary aspects biology-chemistry, e.g. secondary plant compounds
  • Teaching courses

    Arranged by modules:

    • C-LA 104a/b (Equivalent Mathematics and Physics)
      winter semesters 2017/-18, 2018/-19, 2019/-20, 2020/-21

    • C-LA 402 (Didactics of Chemistry I): supervision of seminar and practical course
      sommer semester 2018 (together with Dr. Jan-Markus Täuscher),
      sommer semester 2020 (together with Christoph Bley and Nicolai ter Horst)
      sommer semester 2021 (together with Christoph Bley and Nicolai ter Horst)

    • C-LA 602 (Didactics of Chemistry II): supervision of seminar and practical course
      sommer semester 2018 (together with Clemens Hoffmann)
      winter semester 2018/-19
      sommer semester 2019
  • Supervised papers

    Supervised seminar papers:

    • Selina Schottmann & Sofiya Sklyarova (2019): "Shampoos unter der Lupe - Wie wirksam, verträglich und nachhaltig sind Haarwaschmittel?"
      (School: IGS 'Grete Unrein' Jena)

    • Sarah Ehrlich, Rebecca Hoppe, Juliane Strzata & Leonie Wagenknecht (2019): "Eine wirkungsvolle Alternative zu synthetischen Medikamenten? Untersuchung von pflanzlichen Arzneimitteln aus regionalen Arzneipflanzen an ausgewählten Beispielen."
      (School: Grammar School 'Lyonel Feininger' Mellingen)
  • Further work

    2021

    • 18 - 19 March 2021:
      Participation in the international (virtual) conference 'NEW PERSPECTIVES in SCIENCE EDUCATION - 10th Edition' (asynchronous presentation, together with Nicolai ter Horst)

    2020

    • 14 - 17 September 2020:
      Participation in the 47th (online) GDCP Annual Conference 'Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht und Lehrerbildung im Umbruch?' (poster)

    • 24 June 2020:
      Participation in the research colloquium of the working group Didactics of Chemistry Jena (presentation)

    2019

    • 09 - 12 September 2019:
      Participation in the 46th GDCP Annual Conference 'Naturwissenschaftliche Kompetenzen in der Gesellschaft von morgen' in Vienna (presentation).

    • 14 - 15 August 2019:
      Participation and co-organization of the two-day teacher training course 'Digitales Lernen im naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht' in Jena

    • Conducted teacher training events:
      07 February 2019: 'Wasser-Boden-Luft' (together with Theresa Jünger)

    2018

    • 13 - 15 September 2018:
      Participation in the 35th advanced training and lecture conference 'Chemistry is
      sustainable!      ' of the GDCh's specialist group for Chemistry Dducation in Karlsruhe

    • 12 June 2018:
      Training as a first aider at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena

    • 18 April 2018:
      Offer and leadership of the workshop 'Duftspuren - Mal chemisch!' for children and young people from 12 years (in cooperation with the Phyletisches Museum Jena)

    • 21 - 22 March 2018:
      Participation in the 24th Days of Mathematics and Science Education in Erfurt
      (workshop leader: 'Mixed-Age Chemistry Teaching')

    • Conducted teacher training events: 
      25 October 2018: 'Wunderbare Farben' (together with Theresa Jünger)
      08 November 2018: 'Jahrgangsübergreifender Chemieunterricht'
      13 December 2018: 'Experimente zu Weihnachten'

    2017

    • 24 November 2017:
      Participation in the 'Long Night of Science' in Jena
      (supervision of the hands-on activity 'Colorful Chemistry')

    • 18 - 21 September 2017:
      Participation at the 44th GDCP annual conference 'Qualitätsvoller Chemie- und Physikunterricht- normative und empirische Dimensionen' in Regensburg (poster)

Research interest

University teacher training with practical elements - an interlocking that is becoming a stronger focus of current subject didactic research, especially in the context of Learning-to-Teach Laboratories. In this sense, the chemistry student laboratory in Jena, which has been in existence since 2003, is also being integrated more strongly into the training of chemistry student teachers. In a one-semester module, student teachers in their first semester are given the opportunity to experience a first change of perspective from the role of student to teacher. The focus here is on the reflective examination of convictions and motivational orientations, which represent an important component of the professionalism of teachers. Both the conception and the evaluation of this Learning-to-Teach Lab format are scientifically accompanied by the present PhD project with the topic

Learning-to-Teach Laboratories as places of professionalization in the education of chemistry teachers - development and evaluation of a Learning-to-Teach Laboratory format for first semester chemistry student teachers

in connection with the Learning-to-Teach Lab: Science. The following video gives an insight into the project and presents the first results regarding the students' perception of the event format as well as the effects of the early practical experience on them.

Publications

NPSE conference 2021 - Reimagining student laboratories (virtual presentation)

Most student laboratories organized and cared for by universities are so called “classical student laboratories”. This means that they try to enrich students’ interest in sciences by offering experimental courses for school classes and working closely to their school’s curriculum. At the Friedrich Schiller University Jena the initiative JenaChemLab: reimagined is aiming to enhance this offer in two ways by intertwining the existing classical student laboratory with digital media elements and providing it with a learning-to-teach-approach.

Publication in the conference proceedings 2021:

  • Simon, M.; ter Horst, N. & Wilke, T. (2021):
    "Reimagining Student Laboratories: Design and Evaluation of Two Innovative Concepts." New Perspectives in Science Education (NPSE), Conference Proceedings 2021 (10th Edition)

Click here for the articlepdf, 4 mb · de

The following video shows the presentation 'Reimagining student laboratories - design and evaluation of two innovative concepts' (together with Nicolai ter Horst de):

Click here for the presentation scriptpdf, 15 mb · de

  • GDCP Annual Conference 2020 - Learning-to-Teach Lab: Piloting (Poster)

    University teacher training with practical elements - an interlocking that is becoming a stronger focus of current subject didactic research, especially in the context of Learning-to-Teach laboratories. In this sense, the chemistry student laboratory in Jena, which has been in existence since 2003, is also being integrated more strongly into the training of chemistry student teachers. In a one-semester module, student teachers in their first semester are given the opportunity to experience a first change of perspective from the role of student to teacher. The focus here is on the reflected examination of convictions and motivational orientations, which represent an important component of the professionalism of teachers. Both the conception and the evaluation of this teaching-learning-laboratory format are scientifically accompanied by the present PhD project. In the context of the poster, first results regarding the perception of the event format by the participants as well as regarding the effects of the early practical experiences on them will be presented.

    Click here for the poster

    Published article to the Poster in the conference proceedings 2020 (Volume 41):

    The poster was part of a symposium of the working group Didactics of Chemistry Jena at the online GDCP Annual Conference 2020:

    • Bley, C., Engelmann, P., Jünger, T., Simon, M. & Woest, V. (2021):
      '      Konzepte zur Fach-Fachdidaktik-Vernetzung in der LehrerInnenbildung.'
      Click here for the bracket articlepdf, 178 kb · de

      Published in:
      Habig, S. (ed.) (2021): Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht und Lehrerbildung im Umbruch? Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik, online GDCP Annual Conference 2020. University Duisburg-Essen, p. 310-313. 
  • GDCP Annual Conference 2019 - Learning-to-Teach Lab: Concept (Lecture)

    Cover of the presentation 'Lehr-Lern-Labore'

    Image: Marcel Simon

    The linking of university teacher training with practical phases is repeatedly the focus of subject didactic discussion. In the course of the learning workshop 'Learning-to-Teach Lab: Science', the chemistry student laboratory in Jena, which has existed since 2003, is being integrated more strongly into the training of student teachers. Based on the model of 'professional action competence' (according to Baumert & Kunter, 2006), student teachers' competencies are to be promoted in an internal university learning environment. In this context, student teachers from different semesters have already supervised school classes in the student lab in previous semesters. The structure of the associated accompanying events is based on the concept of 'subject-specific teaching coaching' (Staub & Kreis, 2013). The process of establishing a Learning-to-Teach Lab is scientifically accompanied and evaluated by the present PhD project. In the presentation, both the course concept and first results of the scientific monitoring regarding the participants' perceptions and attitudes towards this format will be presented.

    Click here for the presentation scriptpdf, 3 mb · de

    Published article to the lecture in the conference proceedings 2019 (Volume 40):

    The presentation was part of a symposium of the working group Didactics of Chemistry Jena at the GDCP Annual conference 2019:

    • Engelmann, P., Hoffmann, C., Jünger, T., Simon, M. & Woest, V. (2020):
      '      Disziplinübergreifende Lehrerbildung zwischen Fach und Fachdidaktik.'
      Click here for the bracket articlepdf, 804 kb · de

      Published in:
      Habig, S. (ed.): Naturwissenschaftliche Kompetenzen in der Gesellschaft von morgen. Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik, GDCP Annual Conference in Vienna 2019. University Duisburg-Essen, p. 158-161.
  • GDCP Annual Conference 2017 - Mixed-age chemistry teaching (Poster)

    Poster "Jahrgangsgemischer Unterricht"

    Image: Marcel Simon

    In the course of the restructuring of the German school landscape over the past 15 years, concepts have become established which, on the one hand, require a different approach to the heterogeneity of the student body and, on the other hand, demand the teaching of independent and more complex learning and work. One example of this is the approach of inter-grade teaching. This work dealt with the presentation of basic design criteria for learning and experimentation sets in the context of age heterogeneous learning according to the reform pedagogy of Maria Montessori. On the basis of this criteria catalog, derived from theory and supplemented by statements of science teachers, such a set on the topic of 'Acids & Bases' was developed as an example and then tested and evaluated with students in grades 7, 8, 9 and 10. The primary objective of the accompanying research was to examine the suitability of this material with regard to its use in promoting and optimizing chemical learning processes in the context of mixed-age chemistry teaching in lower secondary school.

    Click here for the posterpdf, 1 mb · de

    Published article to the poster in the conference proceedings 2017 (Volume 38):