Reinventing the chemistry practical

When teachers talk about why they do practical work in lessons, most say to motivate students, because chemistry is a practical subject, or to underpin the theory. There has been a growing emphasis on the latter in the literature: practical work should help students understand the conceptual ideas they are learning. It should be meaningful in terms of students’ learning. While acknowleding that teacher-led practicals have their place, Emily Seeber advocates the student-led, open-ended, practical route too.