Making chemistry engaging for primary school children in Northern Ireland

A novel new approach to teaching Northern Irish children about chemistry, Chemsplorers, is getting a great reaction in primary schools.

By Dermot Hanna

'Scientific Sue' has produced two videos and an instruction manual to help teachers give young learners an engaging and practical taste of chemistry during their formative years.

The idea for Chemsplorers was the work of the Northern Ireland Local Section, with members John Sandford and Dermot Hanna taking the lead on the project. They engaged with 'Scientific Sue' (real name Susan McGrath; science2life.com) to produce a video containing seven experiments that could be carried out easily in class, as well as the video and manual for teachers.

The purpose of this RSC Outreach Fund-backed initiative was to serve as an engaging, entertaining introduction to science for learners and to give apprehensive teachers confidence to teach science.

In Northern Ireland when it comes to delivering science in primary schools, teachers are often nervous, lack confidence and often feel underqualified. On top of this, there was a disconnect with pupils who had missed school due to COVID-19.

There was also the issue that science is not a discrete part of the primary school curriculum in the country. While the subject forms one-third of the World Around Us programme - along with history and geography - it is difficult to build connections between all three and develop complementary contexts for learners. There is also no stipulation for the percentage of each subject area taught, with science often being the one which is least addressed.

This new approach makes it easier and more enjoyable for both students and teachers to engage with chemistry. The video could be paused, giving the teachers time to explain and for the pupils to undertake the experiments and discuss what they saw. The Chemsplorers package also provided equipment and material to carry out the experiments.

The project also introduced schools and teachers to the RSC Steps into Science (edu.rsc.org/primary-science), which provides resources and ideas for teaching primary school science across a wide range of topics.

The Chemsplorers package was distributed to 20 schools in Northern Ireland and reflected the diverse nature of schooling in the country, from state-run controlled schools, through the Irish medium and integrated sector, to Catholic Maintained schools.

A follow-up survey produced many positive comments, with one of the main conclusions being that the WAU Teachers wanted more of this type of learning.

Here are a few of the comments from participating schools:

“Live format is great! Good for the children to have a different face at the front of the room.”

“The format of lessons was very effective. In particular, the group of children I was working with enjoyed the prompts and sounds to signal when a volunteer was needed. This was something they looked forward to each week.”

“We have used the kit with our P6 children as a way of re-introducing science, after the disruption to school, in a fun and engaging way.”