games/puzzles

Turning Element Abbreviations into a Strategic Exercise

Various types of puzzles are widely used in STEM learning activities due to their ability to familiarize students with given content using a strategic approach. In this novel puzzle, there are two steps to complete the exercise. The first step involves the participant identifying periodic table element abbreviations within a specific word. The second step involves fitting the corresponding element names into a blank crossword format. The students become familiar with the elements and their abbreviations, as well as their location on the periodic table.

Collisions - Chemistry Learning Games for High-School and College Students with Jen Lee

Collisions is a system of eight digital games, grounded in the rules of chemistry, that can be used to introduce, teach, and review more than 50 key concepts in your chemistry classroom. Collisions makes abstract concepts tangible by allowing students to visualize and manipulate the building blocks of matter, while providing a safe space to make mistakes and learn by introducing content through gameplay. On March 24th, 2021, Jen Lee presented a ChemEd X Talk about how instructors can use these games with their high school and college students. Besides explaining how the games work and interconnect, she outlined how to find and use premade lesson plans and answered questions posed by participants. You can watch the edited recording of Jen's Talk here.

AACT Virtual Summer Symposia

AACT has organized eight virtual symposia to provide professional development for teachers this summer. These symposia can truly help teachers plan for the next school year and virtually “see” one another to share ideas and concerns.