Developing chemical common sense

By Kristy Turner2021-02-04T10:53:00

An illustration of a woman shouting through a loud speaker surrounded by chemical formulas

Source: Composite based on © Cosmaa/Shutterstock

Eliminate students’ silly mistakes with this advice from Kristy Turner

In everyday life, common sense helps us exercise sound judgement and avoid mistakes. It’s no different when learning science. Science teacher fellow Kristy Turner advocates for the development of chemical common sense in students learning chemistry at secondary school. Teaching the basics, regardless of curriculums and exam specifications, helps students develop a solid foundation for their chemistry learning. That will help them avoid silly mistakes and pick up all the available marks in exams.

Thanks for using Education in Chemistry. You can view one Education in Chemistry article per month as a visitor.

A photograph of a teacher standing in a white lab coat, speaking with a class of children in a laboratory, is superimposed on a colourful background. Text reads "Teach Chemistry means support for classroom and staff room".

Register for Teach Chemistry for free, unlimited access

Registration is open to all teachers and technicians at secondary schools, colleges and teacher training institutions in the UK and Ireland.

Get all this, plus much more:

unlimited access to resources, core practical videos and Education in Chemistry articles
teacher well-being toolkit, personal development resources and online assessments
applications for funding to support your lessons

Set up your Teach Chemistry account

Already a Teach Chemistry member? Sign in now.

Not eligible for Teach Chemistry? Sign up for a personal account instead, or you can also access all our resources with Royal Society of Chemistry membership.