Course content

These are two-day residential courses with two one-day follow up sessions.

They focus on:

• at KS3 - the key concepts:
  • particle theory
  • changes of state
  • chemical change
  • chemical bonding      
• at KS4 - the further development of key concepts, including:
  • rates of reaction
  • energy changes 
  • the structure of materials       
• the exemplification of the key ideas with contemporary contexts
• developing an understanding of student (and teacher) misconceptions of these key ideas and how to address them
• the effective use of models
• the use of relevant and interesting practical experiments and demonstrations to illustrate the key ideas and phenomena involved
• managing health and safety issues to allow the teaching of exciting but safe practical chemistry;
• enhancing knowledge of the potential career opportunities for students through the study of the chemical sciences
• making the learning fun and enjoyable for all concerned!      

About 50% of the course is practical-based.

Following the initial 2-day course, participants are expected to develop their new skills by teaching chemistry in their own classroom environment. 

Therefore, there is an expectation that senior leadership within their schools fully support this as this initiative will enhance their ability to deploy their science teachers and improve performance.

Participants will also receive resources during the session to assist them with their chemistry teaching including a course book containing over 80 experiments.