Teaching Ideas for Chemistry

Teaching chemistry can be made a lot easier with some simple ideas.

Teaching chemistry to students can be somewhat challenging. The subject matter is some of the first hard science that many students will be exposed to, and it will require a lot of understanding for students to really get what's happening when they start mixing chemicals together. However, if you think creatively and use examples and methods that kids can relate to, chemistry will become easier for you to teach and easier for them to learn.

Cooking

One of the easiest, everyday examples for chemistry is to explain how cooking works. For instance, students might know that bread rises when it bakes, but they may not know why. If you explain the interactions between heat, yeast and all of the other chemical compounds in bread, and you show students why certain things happen as bread bakes it may cause a click. Once students realize that chemistry is literally everywhere, their understanding of the subject may find a new perspective.

Games

Not all chemistry takes place in a laboratory environment. A lot of chemical equations and formulas are going to be taught out of the textbook. As such, students might need some fun to spice up their learning. Games and competition tend to work best as a catalyst for getting students really involved. A popular game is chemistry jeopardy, with topics and questions that review the chapter readings. Board races, where students each try to solve a chemical equation before the other, is also a good game for getting students into the swing of things.

Safety

In chemistry labs, safety is often a priority. Even if students don't understand why acids and bases are dangerous, they need to know what to do if they come into contact with those chemicals. Pointing out the chemical shower and the eye fountains are important, along with making sure students know where the fire extinguishers are if there are any. One way to get students to really remember safety lectures is to demonstrate how the equipment works.

References

• Morehead: Teaching Chemistry
• NClark: Amazing Chemistry Teacher Resources