Science can be fun and exciting, as students unravel the mysteries behind startling and stunning experiments.
This was the viewpoint of Science, Chemistry and Physics teacher Carol O’Leary from Scoil Pól in Kilfinane.
Carol was one of many teachers who attended the tenth Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre (SSPC) Annual Chemistry Demonstration Workshop in the SSPC headquarters in the University of Limerick.
The workshop was designed to encourage natural curiosity, which would make classroom science exciting and also foster a better understanding for the student.
Teachers conducted more than forty engaging and interactive science demonstrations, which are linked to real world science applications.
MYSTERY
Speaking about the course, Carol told The Avondhu that there was an emphasis on teaching science through mystery and inquiry and teachers can use science to show students applications of science that they would otherwise have thought of almost as ‘magic tricks’.
“It’s a new way of looking at things rather than just feeding information, and it gives the students a deeper understanding. There won’t be learning by rote anymore and this is the way the exams are going. There will be no more ‘this is the question and I learn off the answers’,” she said.
She added that this new way of teaching the subject also means that they can dispel some myths about the subject, as it is sometimes perceived as being very challenging and hard to grasp.
“I’d like to see more students taking on science subjects and in Scoil Pól, there is a big drive for the uptake of the science subjects. There are so many exciting elements – you could study physics and end up working in the ocean,” she told The Avondhu.
The science teacher added that it is great to have a resource like that in UL, so close to the school, as it means that the students and teachers can benefit from the resources there and enrich their learning experiences.
Teachers participating in the course believed that the change of approach to chemistry, the emphasis on getting the pupils to participate and guess the answers and using questioning to lead them to understanding, was ‘incredibly beneficial’.
