Lifelong Learning Programme

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Teaching Resources

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TEACHING RESOURCES INFORMATION

TITLE OF TEACHING RESOURCE
Chemistry Sundays
IMAGE
NAME OF PRODUCER
National Research Centre - Dixinet (Interdepartmental Masters Program in Didactics of Chemistry and New Technologies in Education) - British Council
DATE OF PRODUCTION
2011
TYPE OF PRODUCT
Experimental demonstrations
LEVEL OF CHEMISTRY KNOWLEDGE
Basic, Medium
PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH
Cooperative learning, Experiential learning
SUBJECT AREA
Fundamental Chemistry
TARGET GROUP LEVEL
Lower Secondary School, Upper Secondary School
LANGUAGE/S OF TEACHING RESOURCES
Greek
TUTORIAL SUPPORT
No
DESCRIPTION
Prerequisites: This teaching resource is available for free via the website of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Department of Chemistry) and does not require any special additional software for functioning.

Contents and Task Description: The teaching resource is a collection of 19 short experimental demonstrations (duration 2 – 5 min each) of simple chemical reactions and phenomena. The majority of the experiments are pretty spectacular and colourful. They also make use of simple chemicals and easy to find materials and very often they bring out connections of chemistry with other scientific fields (eg. forensic science) and with everyday life experiences. The experiments are performed by enthusiastic chemistry specialists (chemistry teachers) in front of live audience of (mostly) young students of secondary school. The chemical themes the experiments deal with are related with fundamental general chemistry, namely chemical equilibrium, chemical kinetics, oxidation-reduction reactions, heat of reactions, surface tension, density of materials and others.
During the experimental demonstrations the teachers give concise explanations of what is actually happening (and why) and they interact actively with the audience by posing questions in order to stimulate short discussions and encourage logical/analytical thinking.

Aims: This teaching resource aims in attracting students’ attention and interest in learning chemistry by employing the technique of live spectacle. It aims in bringing out the presence of chemistry in many different aspects of our everyday lives and its importance as an applied science. As a result, it aims in increasing the intrinsic motivation component for engaging in science learning. The interaction between the demonstrators (chemistry teachers) and the public aims in inducing logical/analytical thinking.

Use in class: The experimental tasks are described adequately by the teachers, so that the same experiments can also easily be reproduced in any school laboratory. However, the teaching resource can be really valuable for class use in the case of absence of lab equipment or lab space. The videos have very short duration (max 5 min) and the teacher can make the students watch them and then stimulate discussion. In this way, new knowledge can be more easily assimilated.
COMMENTS
This teaching resource is very easy to use directly without having to download any special software. It is very important that the experiments are performed by chemistry specialists who are really interested in chemistry education. The demonstrators are very enthusiastic and with pleasant personalities, which is also an asset because they serve as positive role models. The interaction between the teachers and the audience (mostly young students) is done in a casual way which however is able to stimulate engagement in the scientific way of thinking. The experiments are colourful, quite spectacular and they are also given interesting titles which attract attention. The information presented has strong scientific reliability. This teaching resource can have a strong supporting effect in the teaching practice.
NAME OF THE REVIEWING ORGANISATION
TEI of Ionian Islands

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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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