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Teaching Resources

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TEACHING RESOURCES INFORMATION

TITLE OF TEACHING RESOURCE
PhET
IMAGE
NAME OF AUTHOR(S)
Kathy Dessau, Linda Wellman, Noah Finkelstein, Chris Malley, Noah Podolefsky, Mindy Gratny, Jonathan Olson, Julia Chamberlain, Danny Rehn, Sam Reid Oliver Nix, Ariel Paul, Kelly Lancaster, Emily Moore, Kathy Perkins, Trish Loeblein, Michael Dubson, Robert Parson, John Blanco
NAME OF PRODUCER
University of Colorado
DATE OF PRODUCTION
2011
TYPE OF PRODUCT
Web Site/Portal, Downloadable software
LEVEL OF CHEMISTRY KNOWLEDGE
Medium
PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH
Cooperative learning, Modelling, Experiential learning
SUBJECT AREA
Fundamental Chemistry
TARGET GROUP LEVEL
Upper Secondary School
LANGUAGE/S OF TEACHING RESOURCES
English, Italian
TUTORIAL SUPPORT
No
DESCRIPTION
The prerequisites
The online resource is suitable for teaching activities for different school levels, from lower secondary school. The requirements therefore depend on the type of learning resource that the teacher chooses to use.The website offers many interactive simulations in various scientific disciplines and also in chemistry. In general, the activities through a graphical attractive approach, facilitate and support the understanding of concepts, viewing the phenomena even at microscopic level, with interactive models that can be manipulated by studentsNotable is the availability of resources on LIM, since the whole contents of the site can be downloaded and stored on DVD.

The contents
Simulations cover several disciplines, and thus the chemical ones; among these we notice the following used in lower secondary school:
- Build a Molecule: it is a simulation that allows to build molecules from atoms and therefore to understand the differences between atom and molecule.Build an atom: In this activity students consolidate the concepts of atomic structure, with particular attention to the concept of mass number, neutral atom, positive and negative ion.
-Density: interesting simulation on the concept of density, with stimulating activities to reflect on the relationship between mass and volume of objects of different materials.
-Isotopes and Atomic Mass: activity on the creation of isotopes and then on the concept of mass number and isotopic mixtures.
- Reactants, Products and Leftovers: in this simulation student works on the verification of the law of conservation of mass and then on the count of atoms and molecules that take part in a reaction.
- Balancing Chemical Equations: reflection activities on the balance of a reaction, from very simple contexts

Task Description
All activities are interactive simulations that can be manipulated by students individually, but also in small groups; within the simulations there can be interactive games whose setting can be done at different levels, the basic ones are suitable in lower secondary school.

How to use it in class
Each simulation can be used in class as:- activity to reinforce concepts built through a suitable learning path- verification test at the end of a learning process: this is particularly useful for games that are inside the simulations, the game can be used as an opportunity for peer sharing solution strategies and then as a tool for stimulating feed-back of the learning process
COMMENTS
Points of strength
Good both graphics and modeling of contents’ phenomena; interactive games are of good quality and easily usable; good availability of resources for LIM; the whole site can be downloaded and stored on DVD. Interesting is the possibility of grading the complexity of the games. There are useful educational cards associated with simulation

Points of weakness
Not all simulations provide interactive games and the educational cards are not available in translated simulations
Scientific reliability
Scientific contents are well structured

Pedagogic value
All activities have educational value if used within a teaching/learning programme wisely planned by teachers.
NAME OF THE REVIEWING ORGANISATION
University of Genova

Comments about this Publication

Your comments are welcome


Date: 2014.11.30

Posted by Mariusz Jarocki (Poland)

Message: Is the teaching resource described useful for you? Why?
This application is useful since for many grades, irrespective of the level of ICT acquaintance of users. The presented problems are not easy to understand without clear and emphatic examples. This program provides them.

Which learning objectives can be reached by using the resource?
Relations between several concepts as pressure, force, volume, surface, used during physics and chemistry lessons.

Do you think it can increase students’ interest toward chemistry? Why?
The program helps to understand corpuscular theory of the matter, especially allows to find relations between movements of particles and observed phenomena at the macroscopic level. It can increase the motivation of students in the study of chemistry and physics.

Do you think it can help students to understand better and faster? Why?
The tool can be used everywhere and when it is required. The results and conclusions are provided quickly, helping to understand concepts.

Do you think it proposes an innovative didactic approach? Why?
All approaches which allow to understand complex relations in physics is very required. The program is not innovative in sense of methods of explainations, but by using ICT methods to demonstrate them - the most important feature of them is an interaction with the user.

Date: 2014.07.31

Posted by S. Fernandes (Portugal)

Message: Simulation: Density
Is the teaching resource described useful for you? Why?
Yes. This resource allows greater involvement of students in the classroom, whether working individually or in groups, arousing their curiosity and leading them to acquire knowledge while \"playing\".

Which learning objectives can be reached by using the resource?
With this resource, it is intended that students identify the meaning of density, know its units, recognize the importance of this physical property for the characterization of substances and determine the density of solid and liquid materials.

Do you think it can increase students’ interest toward chemistry? Why?
Yes, as these resources have a high visual impact and a recreational component.

Do you think it can help students to understand better and faster? Why?
Yes, because activities involving the active participation of students associated with a recreational component with visual impact, arouse their curiosity and interest by helping them to assimilate knowledge better and faster.

Do you think it proposes an innovative didactic approach? Why?
Nowadays, it is increasingly necessary to use digital resources to introduce the contents of the different disciplines, because in my opinion it is the best way to capture students’ attention, as new generations have a great affinity for new technologies that naturally arouse their interest and curiosity in exploring them.

Date: 2014.07.30

Posted by E. Diegues (Portugal)

Message: Animation: BUILD A MOLECULE
This digital resource can be used in the study of the topic \"Chemical Bonding – How to bind the atoms\" with students in the 9th grade of basic education. By using this resource, students should achieve the following learning objectives: build simple molecules from atoms; know the different types of bonds; recognize that an index in molecular formulas indicates the number of atoms in the molecule; recognize that the coefficient indicates the total number of molecules; represent the structural formulas of the molecules.

Through the use of this innovative teaching approach, being interactive, I consider that it will foster in students a new motivation for learning because it makes them active part in the teaching-learning process and not mere spectators. In this way, students will feel motivated, responsible and respectful of the rules, thereby decreasing situations of indiscipline in the classroom. This digital learning resource stimulates students\' learning as it allows performing tasks which are not possible with traditional media such as: combine text, images and sounds and use animations, in a smooth way.

Animation: MOLECULE SHAPES BASICS
This digital resource can be used in the study of the topic \"Chemical Bonding - Molecular Geometry\", with students in the 9th grade of basic education. The following learning objectives can be achieved: mention the geometry of small molecules; recognize that the molecular geometry is due to the repulsion between the groups of electrons and represent the structural formulas of the molecules.
Through the use of this innovative and interactive teaching approach, I consider that students will be more motivated to learn, because it makes them active part in the teaching-learning process and not only spectators. I believe that this digital learning resource can provide unique opportunities for the construction of new knowledge, providing a valuable set of authentic, updated and 3D represented information, which, if only available in textbooks, becomes difficult to visualize. As such, it helps students to anchor their learning, to understand better how the atoms that constitute the molecules are arranged in space, making observations and analysis of molecules in a 3D perspective and thus bridge the gap between theoretical understanding and practical knowledge.

Date: 2014.07.26

Posted by D. Maltez (Portugal)

Message: Section: Gas Properties
Is the teaching resource described useful for you? Why?
This digital resource is very useful since it allows us to explore contents taught in the 8th and 10th grades that are not always easy to understand by students.

Which learning objectives can be reached by using the resource?
- Associate the pressure of a gas to the magnitude of the force exerted by the corpuscles, per unit area, on the surface of the vessel in which they are contained.
- Relate, for the same amount of gas, temperature, pressure or volume changes holding, in each case, one of these variables constant.

Do you think it can increase students’ interest toward chemistry? Why?
Yes. When we look at a gas we do not see their particles. The visualization of the particles, microscopically, the study by controlling variables, group work, the construction of knowledge using a learning guide associated with research activities, can undoubtedly increase the interest of students in the study of chemistry and physics.

Do you think it can help students to understand better and faster? Why?
Easy access from home, easy accomplishment of results and conclusions may facilitate rapid understanding of concepts, motivating students and, thus, increasing their interest in the discipline.

Do you think it proposes an innovative didactic approach? Why?
The approach is innovative since it allows students to bring for the visible (macroscopic view), what is happening at the microscopic level.

Date: 2014.07.01

Posted by João Paulo Matos (Portugal)

Message: Section: BALANCING-CHEMICAL-EQUATIONS

Is the teaching resource described useful for you? Why?
Yes, because of its ludic character.

Which learning objectives can be reached by using the resource?
Balancing chemical equations.

Do you think it can increase students’ interest toward chemistry? Why?
Yes, because the ludic character associated to the molecular representation makes it a very useful resource.

Do you think it can help students to understand better and faster? Why?
It helps choosing the best strategy to achieve the objective of this resource.

Do you think it proposes an innovative didactic approach? Why?
I believe that this resource advantageously replaces our \"drawings\" and, without being extraordinarily innovative, is quite attractive.

Date: 2014.04.24

Posted by Véronique Bollinne (Belgium)

Message:  Is the teaching resource described useful for you? Why?
This website is a great source of teaching material. I tested 4 simulations with students (3 in chemistry.
The simulations are aesthetically appealing, scientifically accurate and include a game.

 Do you think it can increase the students’ interest toward chemistry? Why?
Yes! It shows that chemistry is not a boring, theoretical topic.
The simulations help students to better visualize atoms, molecules etc. It’s less “abstract”.

 Do you think it can help the students to understand better and faster? Why?
For some students, the playful approach of the game is a challenge that they want to take up. They compare their results and start competing to be the fastest to answer all questions. It really creates a certain emulation.

 Do you think it proposes an innovative didactical approach? Why?
Yes it does! The mix of simulation and game in the same activity is a very innovative and didactical approach. Moreover, English teaching tools are not always easy to find for students in immersion. The simulations on this website are accurate but also very simple to use. I’m a real fan of this website!

Date: 2014.03.24

Posted by Lília Braz (Portugal)

Message: The Photoelectric effect is part of the contents taught in the discipline of physics and chemistry at the secondary level (10th grade). The resource presented by PhET that covers this topic (http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/photoelectric) has been quite valuable for my students and me.
The main purpose for its use in the classroom is to stimulate the learning process in the chemistry area.
As an interactive simulation, it allows the correct prediction of the experimental results, by varying the wavelength of the incident radiation, the radiation intensity and the material of the metallic plate, which makes everything clearer for students. The graphical approach, taken simultaneously, allows users to graphically view the variation of different variables.
The use of this resource, either before or after the theoretical exposition, facilitates and enhances the understanding of the contents, since one can see the same phenomenon at the microscopic level, turning chemistry teaching more “real”.

Date: 2014.03.20

Posted by Lília Sofia Afonso Pires (Portugal)

Message: The analysed resources (Alpha Decay; Beta Decay; Nuclear Fission; Radioactive Dating) can be used within the 12th grade program in the second unit entitled Fuels, Energy and Environment and in the theme \"mass-energy equivalence, a nuclear issue\". With these resources, the teaching-learning process can be complemented making it more attractive and helping students to surpass some difficulties.
These resources allow to interpret the nuclear decay as the transformation of a nuclei into another one by the emission of particles α and β; associate the emission of particles β to nuclei containing a number of neutrons larger than protons and the emission of particles α to nuclei containing a similar number of neutrons and protons; associate the \"half life time\" with the time interval required, in a given sample, to reduce to half the number of particles of radioactive species; recognize that carbon-14 slow decay is used for dating archaeological objects and interpret the high energy amount involved in a nuclear fission reaction.
Summarizing, it is considered that digital resources actively contribute to contents learning. The visual aspect of the different interactive animations, as well as its easy handling, makes them suitable, if used in an appropriate context, to promote concepts understanding.

Date: 2013.06.03

Posted by Sabine Jacquemin (Collège du Sartay) (Belgium)

Message: Molecule Polarity

This resource is interesting because it allows modelling molecules in terms of chemical bonds, showing the repartition of electrons, partial charges, molecule polarity and the direction of those molecules in an electric field. It addresses theoretical diatomic and triatomic molecules for which it is possible to vary the atoms electronegativity as well as around twenty real molecules.

This kind of resource is particularly interesting because it puts pictures on things that cannot be seen (positive for “visual” students), it does not replace a real experiment but it completes it -> better understanding.

Date: 2013.03.09

Posted by Margarita Fytrou (Greece)

Message: “Phet” is an indisputably complete educational course for both Chemistry and Physics classes. It consists of a highly scientifically reliable material which covers an expended spectrum of the applications of Chemistry and Physics that are presented and taught at Greek Lyceums. Not only does it explain the former applications but it also offers the teacher prearranged, ready to use worksheets and even lesson plans. The interactive character of the included simulations is easily comprehensible by the students and it attracts their interest. In addition, there’s also the possibility of the use of the simulations mentioned earlier outside school or at home. This fictitious laboratory enables students to comprehend insights of Physics or Chemistry in a more efficient and rapid way especially if no laboratory equipment is provided at school.
The simulation ”Models of the Hydrogen Atom” is an innovative teaching approach and can be used successfully for the Chemistry Course of the Positive Direction and the Physics Course of the General Education classes at the 3nd grade of Lyceum.
By using this simulation the students can achieve the following goals:
•Explain the concept of energy absorption and energy emission
•Identify the significance of only specific wavelengths of light being absorbed or emitted
•Figure out the structure of atoms without looking at them.

Date: 2013.02.11

Posted by josé Antonio Martín-Lagos Martínez (Spain)

Message: Phet is formed by a number of interactive experiences that are very useful because they allow supporting the class explanation with practical experiences; without the need to go to the laboratory, we can simulate an acid-base titration, or see what parameters modify the speed of a reaction, like we can modify the solubility of salt. These types of simulators facilitate learning because they complement the theoretical class explanation in a very visual way, allowing the student to understand concepts that many times are something abstract. In this way the student better understands the concepts and gets closer to chemistry.
Any type of tool that allows a student to be an active part of his or her learning will reinforce it, make it faster, and above all, and most interestingly, make it last longer, because that which we learn from experience and practice achieve this objective.
It a classroom tool to complement the explanation, while at the same time being a tool to facilitate students’ autonomous work in his/her home or in class, where it can reinforce doing the activities, questions and problems with the programme.

Date: 2012.12.19

Posted by Simonne Liégeois and Anne Minet (Belgium)

Message: Section: build an atom

Is the teaching resource described useful for you?
Why?
Yes for fourth year students (15-16), because the notion of neutron is – unfortunately - no longer is seen the previous year.

Do you think it can increase the students’ interest toward chemistry?
Why?
It makes it possible to view the model of the atom: B

Do you think it can help the students to understand better and faster?
Why?
Better understand thanks to the many varied exercises (games).
The student can train and better assimilate the notions of:
- nature of the atom = number of protons = atomic number
- nucleus stability (equilibrium between protons and neutrons)
- mass number = number of particles in the nucleus (P+ and n°)
- ion charge
- using the periodic table to model the atom or ion (addressing the notion of isotope)

Do you think it proposes an innovative didactical approach?
Why?
It makes it possible to view the model of the atom and to see that the number of protons, neutrons and electrons are not insignificant (influence on the nucleus stability and the charge of the atom or ion)
The student has to build the atom or the ion wanted.

Other comments:
The student could build any atom or ion!( regardless nucleus and ion stability. E.g.: Na3+ is possible!)
It goes no further neon!

Date: 2012.12.19

Posted by Simonne Liégeois and Anne Minet (Belgium)

Message: Section: balancing chemical equations

This resource makes it possible to view the Lavoisier’s law and balancing. It can also be used to train at home.
It can demystify the symbolic writing of the equation and show the “dance” of atoms and molecules.
The display of the balancing as scales is evocative.

Date: 2012.12.19

Posted by Simonne Liégeois and Anne Minet (Belgium)

Message: Section reactants products and leftovers

When learning equation balancing, what happens if there is an excess of one reagent is rarely considered. Considering it from this perspective, we can probably answer a question the student is wondering about but does not ask to the teacher.

Date: 2012.12.19

Posted by Simonne Liégeois (Belgium)

Message: Section isotopes and atomic mass

Is the teaching resource described useful for you?
Why?
The notion of isotope seen in fourth year (16-17 years old) is often very theoretical  “illustration”
“To view” that the composition of a nucleus is not ordinary (stability)

Do you think it can increase the students’ interest toward chemistry?
Why?
It helps better understand:
- that only the number of neutrons changes.
- Isotope stability
- the frequency of each isotope in nature
(the visualisation in space is great and innovative )(+ diagram and axis)
- how to calculate the relative atomic mass given in the table

For mixtures of isotopes, it takes into account only those that are quantifiable. (it ignores C14).
Fortunately, it can be shown with the first part isotopes construction.

Date: 2012.12.14

Posted by Michael Warnier (Belgium)

Message: The resource described contains many documents in various scientific fields and is a precious tool to address chemistry in particular. The numerous animations make it possible to view experiments efficiently, particularly when these cannot be made in the confined space or the unequipped classroom. Thus students can address the subject in a different way.

This differentiated approach turns out to be useful in different moments of a sequence. In a simulation exercise or deepening of the subject, after lab work or in an exercise, it can be useful to show students one of the animations, or even letting the students play with them, so they can change parameters and understand the consequences, like in a game.

This possibility to virtually make what cannot be made or change parameters in no time at all and easily get results is a real teaching innovation.

The autonomous student who is willing to know more will be interested by this resource and his/her curiosity sharpened. However, they will have to find information by themselves with other resources. Indeed, the information available on the website is sometimes simplistic or incomplete: equations and precisions are missing regarding the subject. For instance, to be fully understood, the animations have prerequisites regarding contents and subject, which can be provided during lectures.

Date: 2012.10.09

Posted by Arnaldo Fernandes (Portugal)

Message: This is an online resource, very well designed and transversal to the various levels of education.

For the primary school education, it has a set of resources covering different branches of science, particularly in the context of chemistry and physics, that are very well prepared for this level of education. With these resources, it is possible for teachers to address, in the context of the classroom, certain scientific contents in a very dynamic and motivating way for students. These tools can also function as a virtual lab, used in a playful manner, thereby filling some shortages of equipment in primary schools.

They are also a tool for teachers, as it can contribute for a deeper understanding and appreciation of scientific knowledge.

Date: 2012.10.02

Posted by Lília Sofia Afonso Pires (Portugal)

Message:
The use of this digital resource helps to develop in students an interest for chemistry and its use may also provide a better understanding and learning of the contents covered. The visual appearance of the different interactive animations, as well as the way they are organized, provide good conditions to lead to an understanding of the concepts. The learning approach of contents as complex as the ones discussed in some of the animations, becomes more difficult and complex without this digital resource. The strongest point of PhET is the great variety of concepts covered as well as its easy manipulation.

However, due to the limitations and generalizations inherent to the analysis of the resource, regarding the non-implementation of all interactive animations displayed directly with my students, these comments should be taken only as a simple positive indicator in favor of the hypothesis that this digital resource will help to improve the learning of the concepts presented.

Date: 2012.10.01

Posted by RADKA KRASTEVA (Bulgaria)

Message: PhET is a useful online resource. It offers a great number of interactive simulations that cover different branches of science, including chemistry. It develops students’ spatial thinking providing them with a wealth of information on related sciences.
The website content can attract students’ attention to the theory of chemistry and even more, to its practical part. The available resources provoke students’ interest. As a whole, the attractive graphical approach helps secondary school students comprehend concepts, processes and substance structures.The resource allows students to observe and manipulate interesting simulations of physical-chemical processes and three-dimensional molecule models. It facilitates understanding of the content matter of chemistry, physics, information technologies, etc. Students will thus gain knowledge about concepts, such as atom, molecule, mass, density, pH, etc. The interactive simulations enable students to master skills necessary for performing experiments in real-life environment. Knowledge and skills, acquired in an enjoyable way through the use of this website, develop students’ chemistry literacy.
The website offers an innovative approach to teaching chemistry and other sciences as well. Through interactive simulations students can deepen their understanding and appreciation of various chemical and physical-chemical processes and the interrelation between physics, mathematics, information technologies, graphical designing and foreign languages.
This website, however, is difficult to reach out to every secondary school in Bulgaria, due to the lack of enough PCs available for students’ individual use and the different level of foreign language knowledge.
To overcome some of these problems, the whole contents of the site can be downloaded and stored on DVD.
Using the website in the classroom or at home, can help students develop chemistry and technical awareness above the average level.
Being of comparatively good scientific value, the resource can also be of help to teachers.
The performance of simulation tasks will give teachers feedback on what students have learnt within the lesson.

Date: 2012.09.29

Posted by João Paulo Matos (Portugal)

Message: I'm a fan of these simulations. I use them very often, they are a great motivational tool, for introduction and consolidation of concepts, i.e., they are appropriate for every situation! It is the multimedia resource that I use the most, even I have fun with the possibilities that are provided. One of the latest simulations I have used, with students from the 10th grade, was dedicated to the study of energy conservation. The simulation http://phet.colorado.edu/pt/simulation/energy-skate-park proved to be a valuable resource to circumvent the difficulty of explaining the concept of energy. It was used in several classes. The possibility of changing the mass of the body, velocity, gravitational acceleration, friction and trajectory allows the study of a large number of relations, presented through various graphs. This diversity of options allows to study, separately, the kinetic energy and the potential energy. But it is also possible to compare them with each other and also with the mechanical energy. It is also possible to study the conservation of energy and dissipation, in a very instructive way.
All of this cognitive potential is maximized by the graphical potential and also by the relevance of the presented examples.

Date: 2012.09.29

Posted by Adília Alcina Gonçalves Tavares da Silva (p)

Message: The simulations available at the PhET portal are highly interactive presenting both high graphical and pedagogical quality. They constitute important pedagogical tools for teachers, being possible to use them in classroom environment to promote, along student’s learning process, the motivation, acquisition of knowledge and autonomy. The number and variety of thematics, as well as its cross interdisciplinary enable both students and teachers, to interconnect contents of several disciplines.
The exploring of phenomena, concepts and laws, guided/mediated by learning instruments built-up by the teacher, having into account the learning objectives, promotes hypothesis formulation and its verification, increasing student’s interest for chemistry subjects.
Student’s motivation, autonomy and creativity increases significantly when a simulation is presented in a kit-based format. In this context, I have experienced myself that this “virtual laboratory” enables students to develop tasks like answering challenge-questions which assures a better understanding and learning following a creative pathway.
Teachers can found in this portal several solutions to teach subjects where an experimental setup is not possible, e.g. to study radioactivity. The set of available simulations have played a key role for the understanding of nuclear fusion and fission, as well as, radioactive decaying.

Date: 2012.09.29

Posted by Luísa Maria Fernandes (Portugal)

Message:
This review is dedicated in more detail to the interactive simulation Blackbody Spectrum, available at the Phet website.

Is the teaching resource described useful for you? Why?
I found this resource very useful. I applied it in my classroom, to my students of the 10th degree, and it felt that they better understand the concepts of blackbody spectrum, radiation emission, intensity of radiation, Wien's displacement and Stefan-Boltzmann Laws. It’s easy to visualize the change of the spectrum curve when we change the temperature of the blackbody.
It permits that the students can confirm the Wien’s Law, although in some of the temperatures is difficult to read the values of wavelength of maximum intensity and it seems that the thermometer bursts when we select higher temperatures.

Do you think it can increase the students’ interest toward chemistry? Why?
I think that it can, in fact, increase the students’ interest toward chemistry because they (apparently) understand better the concepts involved. Most of my students asked the link or the application to use in their study. It is easy to use, scientifically trust and available in our own language and updated on a regular basis.

Do you think it can help the students to understand better and faster? Why?
I think that most of the students did understand better and faster. They could resolve some exercises easier than before, with only the theoretic explanation. It’s more visual so they can understand better.

Do you think it propose an innovative didactical approach? Why?
I don’t know if it is an innovative didactical approach for the students, but I think that, at least, is an appealing and easier didactical approach. I find most of the resources of PhET, that I have used, interesting, motivating and complete to help the students in their study. With the application, that we can download or use online, there are also available main topics, sample learning goals, tips for teachers and teaching ideas, that can help us, teachers, construct and develop the lesson.

Date: 2012.09.27

Posted by Célia Pinto Bento (Portugal)

Message:
This comment reviews the interactive simulation “acid-base solutions” that is available at the PHET website.

Is the teaching resource described useful for you? Why?
In the 8th and 11th grades the concept of acid-base is addressed. I believe that this resource is suited for the lower grade because it relates, in a simple manner, the pH value to the strength of an acid or base. It shows that the presence of H3O+ ions is related to the acidity of the solution and the presence of OH- ions to the basic characteristics. It also shows that pH can be measured experimentally in different ways. Additionally, it relates the presence of ions in solution with electrical conductivity. Finally, it also demonstrates that by increasing the acid concentration there is a pH value decrease.
In the 11th year these concepts are discussed at a more advanced level and I believe that this simulation will be a little short of what is intended in that level of education.

Do you think it can increase the students’ interest toward chemistry? Why?
Yes, because at the lower level of education students react well when information is accompanied by a visual stimulus.

Do you think it can help students to understand better and faster? Why?
The information is presented in an attractive form; therefore it captures students' attention more easily. If that may or may not help students to understand better and faster, will depend on a good exploitation of the resource by the teacher.

Do you think it propose an innovative didactical approach? Why?
No, because the conclusions drawn from this simulation can be easily obtained experimentally while developing students' laboratory performance.

Date: 2012.09.25

Posted by Mara Emanuela Barra C. Sousa Dias (Portugal)

Message: This review is related to the PHET website, with a particular emphasis on the interactive simulation “States of matter”.

Is the teaching resource described useful for you? Why?
- I found this resource very useful. It can be used in the classroom for students of 8th (13 years old) and 12th (17 years old) grades. They can check the influence of pressure and temperature in the physical states of matter. In the case of the 8th grade, it is related to the corpuscular theory of matter, which is part of the curricular program. In the case of the 12th grade, this resource allows students to relate the variables pressure, temperature and volume.
- Do you think it can increase the students’ interest toward chemistry? Why?
Yes, unequivocally. The students' interest in chemistry should be encouraged with this type of applications, since it allows students to manipulate several variables, checking immediately what is the relation between them.
- Do you think it proposes an innovative didactical approach? Why?
I think so, because it is an attractive and easy to learn approach. I think most of the resources I have used from PhET website, are interesting, motivating and complete in order to help students in their learning process.

National Reports on successful experiences to promote lifelong learning for chemistry The national reports on chemistry successful experiences to promote lifelong learning for chemistry are now available on the related section of the project portal. The reports presents examples of successful experiences in the partner countries and the results of testing of ICT resources with science teachers.

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