The Periodic Table of Videos has been around for a while, but they are actively updating videos and creating new ones. The videos were created by Brady Haran at the University of Nottingham. They are short and very informative. I like to use them during lessons when my classes are discussing specific elements. For instance, some of us like to demonstrate adding lithium and/or sodium to wate
The College Board released a new framework for the AP chemistry course that teachers are using this year. The new curriculum emphasizes big ideas, enduring understandings, and science practices.
October 2013 edition of the ChemEd X quarterly newsletter
I used JCE Classroom Activity #111 in my chemistry classes today. (Subscription to JCE required.) What a great way to help students make the connection between number of ions present, the charges of the ions and the neutral compound formula.
The MOSART tests are designed to measure understanding of science concepts. The name, MOSART, stands for:
Misconceptions-Oriented Standards-based Assessment Resources for Teachers
We are encouraged to use modelling these days and I have some activities to share along with some videos that might help you in the process.
The national ACS James Bryant Conant award was established in 1965 to encourage and recognize outstanding high school chemistry teachers. Candidates are chosen based upon evidence of high quality teaching, ability to challenge and inspire, extracurricular activities that support their work and pursuit of continued improvement of their role as an educator. There have been a variety of sponsors of the award including Thermo Fisher Scientific. As of 2017, the Journal of Chemical Education and ChemEd X have created a permanent endowment to fund this prestigious award. Find out more about the Conant Award at ACS.org.
This past summer, I took part in an online professional development offered by Beyond Benign. According to the Web site, “Beyond Benign was created by Dr. John Warner, a founder of the field of Green Chemistry, to provide an approach and means for scientists, particularly those involved in green chemistry and sustainable science, to reach out to the public.” I learned a great deal from the training. I was exposed to many resources that I did not know existed. I found lessons that I can easily incorporate into my curriculum that make a connection between the student and the chemistry content. Nothing is more powerful in a chemistry classroom than when a student can identify how the course content affects their everyday life and their future.
I am a safety conscience science teacher. I am embarrassed about some of the things that I did in my classes early in my career that I did not realize were unsafe. I saw the demonstrations and activities done at professional development venues and assumed that if my mentors were using the activity, it was safe.
Do you know where the term “isotope” comes from? The term was coined about 100 years ago.
