Project Based Learning

As a chemistry teacher of ten years there is one unit I used to enjoy but as time has gone on it now feels like a huge task....the unit on the nomenclature of ionic and covalent compounds. Currently, in the state of Michigan, it's not a specific state standard that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards so it has become “extra” content;

I remember one of my closest friends in college telling the story of her mother and cabbage soup. When her parents were first married, her mom made a recipe for cabbage soup which they loved. She wanted to make it again, but couldn’t find green cabbage so she made it with red. To their surprise, it turned out bright blue.

by Dean J. Campbell*, Thomas Kahila*, Kaitlyn Walls*, Q Ott* *Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois

The Diet Coke and Mentos reaction is a common experiment performed in many science classes. This year, I adapted my somewhat free-wheeling “wing it” approach to this experiment to instead have students research, test, and adapt as needed. The students’ goal is to get the highest possible geyser.

Iain A. Smellie*, Iain L. J. Patterson*, Isobel Everest** *University of St Andrews School of Chemistry, North Haugh, St Andrews, United Kingdom, **Bedford Girls’ School, Bedford, United Kingdom

Easy access to the internet has helped to enable many individuals to gather data to serve a collective purpose.

I have been teaching AP Chemistry for 13 years and every year I have multiple weeks of instruction following the AP Chemistry Exam. I have tried many different ideas for instruction during those weeks. In years past I have taught introduction to organic chemistry and/or nuclear chemistry.

Traditional approaches to chemistry education generally focus on communicating conceptual knowledge, problem-solving, and understanding abstract concepts. These concentrations are crucial aspects of chemistry learning, but they tend to leave topics disconnected from meaningful applications.

I have taught at three different public schools in the United States (two in California and one in Washington state), and now three different international schools (two in Thailand, one in Romania) - and at each school I have honed my practice as a chemistry teacher based on interactions and feedback from students, the strengths of the school, and the e

Two years ago, I saw a post here on ChemEd X about popping a balloon with an orange peel--and from this seed grew one of my favorite weeks of the school year.