Use ideas from this issue

If you’re short on time and want to use articles from the May 2018 issue of Education in Chemistry, try these suggestions:

• Stay on the pulse – draw inspiration for lesson context from the latest cutting-edge research
• Test formatively – personalise feedback with a post-test intervention sheet
• Revise effectively – encourage students to condense rather than copy information when taking notes
• Practice with new reactions – help students understand mechanisms rather than rote learn them
• Illustrate with physical models – pots of beads provide a hook for understanding mixtures
• Draw, don’t write – that’s what helps students memorise, research suggests
• Make students aware of their progress – low performers overpredict their marks
• Precision is not accuracy – pen, paper and a microwave can help you teach the difference
• Learn to say ‘no’ if it’s too much – consider your work–life balance, set boundaries and protect them