Teaching Strategies

Topic Strategy Title Description
Short Activities

Only give them two or three minutes to work on a problem. That concentrates them and prevents them just talking about the football or whatever it is that’s on their mind. You need to keep changing the activity, rather than have extended activities. We want them to chat, but human beings won’t...

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Demonstrations to Keep Attention

Do a demonstration, for example, a little explosion where you get a fluorescent gas coming off. It’s in a way related to the material, but it’s more about keeping them awake and engaged. It’s just a little bit of fun. That helps. They obviously enjoy it. Keep the didactic, formal teaching very,...

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Quantum Mechanics for Large Objects

We describe quantum mechanics for an electron, but when it’s a tennis ball, what would the equation look like? This gives them the idea that the model works for every kind of particle.

Large Scale Analogies

Students tend to think that large-scale analogies are appropriate. For example, billiard balls colliding. Use such analogies but then deconstruct them for an introduction to quantum mechanics.

Link to...

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Visualise Water in Different States

Use the Vis Chem website, which is Roy Tasker’s resource, and there are links to a Scootle site where you can download visualisations for chemical bonding and pure substances in different states. There is gaseous water and liquid water. You can see they’re close together - they’re crowded. You...

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