If you had to teach chemistry, how would you do it?

Question: If you had to teach chemistry, how would you do it?
- Keywords:
  chemistry,
  teach
Asked by anon-199627 to Sylvia, Sumit, Martin, Kate, Bryony, Aryanne on 4 Mar 2019.
- Martin McCoustra answered on 4 Mar 2019:
  
  In a sense, I do teach chemistry but not in a school. I teach undergraduate chemists using a combination of lectures and tutorials. I also teach my research students and research assistants to be researchers.
- Aryanne Finnie answered on 4 Mar 2019:
  
  I would try to relate it to real life as much as i could! The best analogy i was told in high school was based on how electrons fill a shell, and my teacher compared it to sitting on a bus. When someone gets on the bus, they don’t want to sit beside a stranger so they’ll take an empty seat, but when all the window seats are occupied, the next person to get on the bus has no choice but to sit beside a strainger, and thats how i remembered Hunds Rule!
- Sylvia Soldatou answered on 4 Mar 2019:
  
  I would try to make it as interactive as possible and give examples so students can relate the fact to the real life application. I would also try to set up as many experiments as possible to demonstrate the principle /reaction etc
- Sumit Konar answered on 5 Mar 2019:
  
  I will teach chemistry through models/demonstrations. I will also take them to excursion (museum etc). I will not tell them everything but rather allow them to think more than read. Imagination is more important than knowledge. I do not care whether my students can write an equation of chemical reaction, but will be very happy if they understand the underlying principle of the equation. This approach must help them to develop their independent thinking skill in future.
- Bryony Hockin answered on 5 Mar 2019:
  
  I already teach chemistry! I teach undergraduate students in laboratories, so it’s very hands on, I show them how to do experiments and fix things when they do wrong. I also lead tutorials to try and explain chemistry to students; I like to explain things by building models of molecules or drawing pictures so it’s as interactive as possible. I also teach chemistry in schools and at science fairs by doing outreach, so I bring lots of fun chemistry experiments that everyone can try (they’re usually a bit messy, like making slime… but always fun!)
- Kate McGonagle answered on 5 Mar 2019:
  
  Hey I think loads of doing and experimenting like everyone has already said! We are all partial to a tune out or a nod off if someone just chats on talking for an hour. As interactive as possible is the best way – that’s what got me into chemistry!

Question: If you had to teach chemistry, how would you do it?

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