1 Ce
1 Ce
1 Ce
html
58
abstract
ISSN 2013-1755, SCQ-IEC Educació Química EduQ número 24 (2018), p. 58-62
Micro-chemical procedures in chemistry make practical work safer and less expensive. However, for these techniques
to be acceptable to United Kingdom teachers, there has to be «added value». This comes in improved classroom
management, reducing cognitive load on the short term-working memory, challenging long-held misconceptions at the
molecular/ionic level, and even developing completely new experiments for students and demonstrations for teachers.
keywords
Practical chemistry, microchemistry, school chemistry, safety, technique.
resum
Els procediments a microescala en química fan que el treball pràctic sigui més segur i menys costós. Tanmateix,
perquè aquestes tècniques siguin acceptables per als professors del Regne Unit, hi ha d’haver un «valor afegit». La
microescala promou una millor gestió de l’aula, amb una reducció de la càrrega cognitiva a la memòria de treball a curt
termini, un desafiament de les idees errònies a llarg termini a nivell molecular i iònic i, fins i tot, el desenvolupament
d’experiments completament nous per als estudiants i de demostracions també noves per als professors.
paraules clau
Química pràctica, microquímica, química escolar, seguretat, tècnica.
«In a little you can see a lot»: the impact of practical microscale chemistry on chemical education
istry.html, https://www.youtube.com/ lack of use), and platinum
watch?v=b9UF6wycia8). electrodes for £70 (but the
«In a little you can see a lot»: the impact of practical microscale chemistry on chemical education
carbonate ions.
Displacement and precipita-
tion reactions can also be per-
formed on the plastic sheet.
true by exam boards, but the niques over the traditional gen, L.; Verley, R. (2014).
suspicion survives. Despite, technique used for over one «A simple, small-scale Lego
inventing and selling plastic hundred years. Now I have colorimeter with a light-emit-
materials to the whole world as reversed the priorities so the ting diode (LED) used as
an alternative to glass, some impact of microscale on practical detector». J. Chem. Educ., vol. 91,
school chemistry teachers still chemistry in education describes: No. 7, p. 1037-1039.
have a deep suspicion of the use — How it can be used to improve Skynner, J. (ed.) (1998). Microscale
of plastics in the laboratory. students’ and teachers’ understand- chemistry: Experiments in
However, some teachers ing of how particles interact the miniature. London: Royal
informed us that these methods sub-micro or nano-level. Society of Chemistry.
increased speed and efficiency — How it reduces the overload
in lessons as well time saved in on the short-term working
clearing up, thus allowing time memory of students.
for teaching. The cracking proce- — How it improves the speed
dure (fig. 2), as well as being safe, and efficiency of lessons and
could be set up and completed classroom management.
in 20 minutes, allowing time to — How it uses new materials.
discuss the chemistry. The — How it incorporates green
indicators on a plastic sheet and sustainability credentials.
(fig. 8) was over in 15 minutes — How teachers can present Bob Worley
with photographs taken. If there chemistry in a non-laboratory Is the (retired) chemistry advisor for
had been fifteen groups doing this environment. CLEAPSS (www.cleapss.org.uk) in the
experiment, four hundred and — How it can reduce the cost United Kingdom. He acquired degrees
thirty-five test tubes would have of practical work. in Chemistry at the University of
had to be sourced and cleaned. — How it can improve safety. Sheffield. He then taught students for
Plastic pipettes are used to twenty years, sixteen years as head of
transfer chemicals from vials. Acknowledgements department at Norwich School in the
They come in different sizes and Dr. Kay Stephenson is fantastic United Kingdom, and finally twenty-
bulb volumes. It is very useful to in discussions and presentations in one years at CLEAPSS. However, he
know how many drops a pipette how practical work assists cannot simply leave chemistry and
will deliver to 1 mL of liquid. student’s understanding of education, so he now work part time
There are plastic pipettes that chemistry. Mary Owen BSc for CLEAPSS solving all manner of
deliver twenty, thirty and fifty improves immeasurably on my technical and teaching problems.
drops respectively. Dropping crude ideas and designs of E-mail: [email protected].