Teaching Resources

Date: 2014.12.09

Posted by Mariusz Jarocki (Poland)

Message: Is the teaching resource described useful for you? Why?
The resource is a web site of knowledge focused on polymers. It is a simple demonstration that a limitation of issues considered by a teaching resource has a positive effect on quality and consistency of material. It is reliable and useful despite rather conservative and non-spectacular audio-visual methods used to present it.

Do you think it can increase students’ interest toward chemistry? Why?
I think so, with little reservations. Nowadays students require from the IT presentations more than the site offers. The fundamental problem is lack of interactive solutions. With strongly limited range of issues and - what is more important - issues required solid foundations of general knowledge of chemistry, it is hard to hope for many new stakeholders.

Do you think it can help students to understand better and faster? Why?
The site has certainly pedagogical value. It is good as complementary tool in teaching chemistry.

Do you think it proposes an innovative didactic approach? Why?
The approach used in the material is rather traditional and based on the academic-style of lectures. To make lessons based on the material innovative, we have to do some additional work.

Date: 2013.02.03

Posted by José Ángel Ruiz García (Spain)

Message: If you are looking for visual material of the different polymers, this is an ideal website, especially to work the tridimensional structure and overall features of polymers in the classroom. This is remarkably useful as it is normally complicated for students to understand their structure. There are many polymers which are usually used when teaching Biology. Thanks to these materials, pupils can see molecules instead of just reading them. Advantages: intuitive website offering clear and easy-to-find information. Moreover, you can choose among several languages. Drawbacks: a rudimentary presentation. On first sight, it seems a low-quaility website despite the high quality of materials.

Date: 2012.10.03

Posted by Elena Ghibaudi (Italy)

Message: The Macrogalleria is a website portal that describes the world of natural and synthetic polymers, under different viewpoints. It is exploitable at distinct teaching levels (from primary school to the upper secondary school) and it is available in different languages. Although the level of interactivity is limited, the website design is very captivating and the site can be easily surfed by any cyber-visitor.
The website is conceived as a “cyberwonderland of polymer fun” structured on 6 distinct “floors”. Each stage takes into account one aspect of polymers, which is extensively described inside the several “windows” found at each floor. The information contents are accurate and their level of complexity increases from the first towards the fifth floor. The following topics are discussed:
Level One: Polymers Are Everywhere (polymer-made objects )
Level Two: Polymers Up close and personal (description of the different kind of polymers and their structures)
Level Three: How they work (polymers’ properties)
Level Four: Making Polymers (polymers’ synthesis)
Level Five: Getting Polymers to Talk (the techniques employed for characterising them)
Level Six: Polymer Processing (polymers’ industrial processing)
In addition, a special section for kids is included.
The information content is presented as an hypertext,
The resource is useful as a teaching support for several reasons:
it adapts to different teaching levels
it is a rich and accurate source of information
it highlights the close relationships between polymers and everyday life and is likely to promote the students’ interest towards chemistry
it provides clear explanations, that may help students to understand the chemistry of polymers. It may be used also for self-learning
This site can be exploited by science teachers as a teaching support, in spite of the low interactive character and although it does not propose any innovative didactical approach.