Understanding chemistry at the university: Something other than formulas

The objective of this work was to present and analyze a novel teaching strategy in the chemistry area for the instruction of university professionals and teachers. This is based on an inquiry into alternative concepts. The experiment was carried out in a training and instruction course for new teachers. The tasks permitted to demonstrate that the students experienced difficulties at two principal levels; a) clear comprehension of a given chemical phenomenon, and b) lack of communication skills to efficiently transmit their knowledge by using everyday language and technical language proper of the chemistry area. It was concluded that the strategy presented is a useful tool for working with alternative concepts in chemistry.