Ever wonder why some call precipitation reactions "double decomposition". Perhaps (or perhaps not) two (double) salts are sort of splitting apart (decomposing?) and then reforming with other radicals. But a solvent (usually water) is necessary to achieve the desired effect. But is adding water to a salt really decomposition?
A couple of days ago on Twitter, the ever-lasting debate between lecture and active learning reignited due to some talks at an Educational Research Conference held in Dublin. These talks stated direct guidance (which includes lecture) was superior in terms of student learning due its reduction of students’ cognitive load. The main citation used for this argument was an article by Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark published in 2006. So, let’s dive into what this article says.
The Devil's Milkshake is a simple, yet interesting chemistry experiment that fits well as a Halloween demo.
Want to heat up a department meeting? Just propose that all courses have an on-line option and watch as some colleagues have strong opinions about it- be it on one side or the other. What overlooked component can be distilled from a normal in-person course into an online that could have a significant impact? Perhaps the face-to-face “live” interaction.
Once one knows about Critical Pedagogy (with respect to Critical Thinking, as was covered in the previous blog), how is that knowledge used? Can strategies be implemented that embrace Critical Pedagogy while not sacrificing content coverage? What are some ways to build criticality in students while maintaining expected requirements for classroom rigor?
In honor of the International Year of the Periodic Table: A familiarity with the chemistry of some of the elements more commonly encountered in everyday life is a valuable learning experience for all students. Copper is the sixth in this series of elements to be discussed as part of the Element of the Month program. #IYPT
Simple chemical tests are described that can indicate the presence of certain metals in coins. A wide variety of chemical concepts are involved. The experiments described are a natural fit for the 2019 National Chemistry Week theme of "Marvelous Metals!"
I have been working on a cool research project for over a year now and I had to learn to properly collect and analyze a lot of data. I would like to introduce a few of the basic techniques I learned and you perhaps can use to compare data by using software such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.
The annual STANYS (Science Teachers Association of New York State) coming up in November promises to grow your understanding of everything NGSS chemistry related from sessions on phenomena, to growing your understanding of Science and Engineering Practices, to incorporating instruction by means of Cross-Cutting Concepts, to storylines and assessment.
This post describes some simple experiments using various coins and neodymium magnets that connect to the 2019 National Chemistry Week theme of Marvelous Metals!
