Abstract
This article focuses on the problem of teaching food chemistry and nutrition in secondary school curricula. In it we propose a new approach to the topic of lipids from the perspective of food chemistry and nutrition, and we have developed this topic into a new program for interactive whiteboards.
The program should be understood as an overview, and its content was derived from the results of a range of analyses of secondary school chemistry and biology textbooks. These analyses have shown that the textbooks in question have substantial shortcomings in addressing the topics of food chemistry and nutrition.
While the textbooks contain sufficient terminology related to the given topic, their attention to nutrition and illnesses associated with it is minimal. In addition to the textbooks analyzed, the proposed content of the lipids unit is derived from the results of numerous World Health Organization research projects, as well as from the recommendations of dieticians and doctors.
The results of our survey conducted among third year secondary school students confirmed their insufficient knowledge about the issues of nutrition and illnesses associated with it, thus confirming the need to change the way in which it is taught. We have created entirely new content for the topic of lipids in the form of an educational text designed for secondary school (or potentially even primary school) teachers.
It consists of three sections: 1) lipids as a component of food, 2) the digestion and metabolism of lipids, and 3) proper nutrition, diet, and illnesses associated with nutrition. Each section contains motivational-educational material created for interactive whiteboards.
For each section there is also a corresponding PowerPoint presentation which can be given to students as further study material.