In philosophy and science, a first principle is a basic proposition or assumption that cannot be deduced from any other proposition or assumption. Ancient Greek philosophy Aristotle defined the first principle as “the first basis from which a thing is known.” First principles thinking (or reasoning from first principles) is a way of thinking and problem-solving that breaks down a complex problem into its most basic assumptions, facts, concepts, or ideas and then reassembles them from the bottom-up. In this paper, we reported our attempts to harness first principles thinking into problem-based learning (PBL) in chemistry education. Two PBL projects were elaborately designed respectively for two student groups. By utilizing the inquiry-based technique and jigsaw technique, the understanding of the fundamental principles of chemistry was employed to guide the students´ research activity and strengthen the learning of chemistry. We also observed signs of increased creativity during the process. This communication indicated that first principles thinking could be harnessed to increase students´ learning depth and promote creativity in chemical education.

中文翻译：

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在基于问题的学习中利用第一性原理思维进行化学教育


在哲学和科学中，第一性原理是一个基本命题或假设，不能从任何其他命题或假设中推导出来。古希腊哲学亚里士多德将第一原则定义为“认识事物的第一基础”。第一性原理思维（或从第一性原理进行推理）是一种思考和解决问题的方式，它将复杂问题分解为最基本的假设、事实、概念或想法，然后自下而上地重新组合它们。在本文中，我们报告了我们在化学教育中将第一性原理思维应用于基于问题的学习 （PBL） 的尝试。分别为两个学生小组精心设计了两个 PBL 项目。通过利用探究式技术和拼图技术，利用对化学基本原理的理解来指导学生的研究活动并加强化学的学习。在此过程中，我们还观察到创造力增加的迹象。这种交流表明，在化学教育中，可以利用第一性原理思维来增加学生的学习深度并促进创造力。