How can you switch from a hands-on
face-to-face chemistry course
to an online course in the face of a pandemic? It is possible to have
students do hands-on experiments at home. There are many readily available
kitchen, drug store, and garden chemicals that can be used to illustrate
the same principles in standard chemistry curricula at multiple levels.
One example is using milk of magnesia, magnesium hydroxide, as a base
which happens to have a built-in end of titration indicator because
it begins as a suspension. Despite the lack of available laboratory
equipment, there are other ways to use household items as substitutes
as well. The equivalence of a double pan balance can be constructed
from a hanger with two cups tied to opposite ends of it; whether masses
are equal can easily be detected this way. This article details some
of the experiments, assessments, and online organization used during
the beginning of the pandemic and compares the results with face-to-face
instruction.
Understanding how the periodic table of elements is organized and how to read information from it is fundamental for understanding chemistry. Introductory chemistry courses usually include discussions detailing what elemental information can be determined by virtue of its position on the periodic table. Although many people have been exposed to these ideas, they still do not understand how the periodic table is organized. This article describes new discovery-based lessons that enable students to explore the organization of the periodic table and learn how to read the information embedded within it. This method guides students through hands-on, minds-on activities that allow them to develop visual−spatial images of the role valence electrons play in the formation of molecules from atoms and in the organization of the periodic table. This new constructivist teaching method has been successfully used with learners of many ages from eight years old through adult learners.
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