Chemistry in the museum

Each year the number of informal sources and settings where children and adults can learn about science and technology outside of the classroom is increasing, as – generally – is their quality. Newspapers, news websites, popular science books, and television and radio programmes are the main sources, while public settings now range from shopping centres, to sports arenas, music festivals, science centres and museums.

Chemistry tends to be less well represented in these informal outlets than the other sciences and it often loses out to physics and biology in science centres and science museums. This is because the subject can be challenging to present in an engaging fashion in these settings. Most science centres and science museums do however run chemistry demonstration shows and workshops, and some also offer chemistry-related displays. A notable example is the Elements exhibition, which is currently running in the National Museums Northern Ireland’s Ulster Museum in Belfast.

Formal science education has an important, but too often unrecognised, role in making young people aware of – and giving them the skills needed to engage with – contexts for science learning beyond the classroom. This applies to chemistry as much as it does to other scientific disciplines. Though they may be less conspicuous, there are sources and settings for informal learning in chemistry and our pupils should be alerted to their significance.

At least three benefits can flow from incorporating such contexts, even in a small way, into chemistry curricula.

Ruth Jarman discusses how exploring chemistry in informal contexts can benefit students' learning and shares her experience of taking PGCE students on a chemistry in the museum day.