Enhancing teaching using tactile objects

Expecting students to pay attention to an unbroken 50 minute chemistry lecture is a 'big ask.' I have always ensured that at least once in a lecture they have a 'minibreak' - perhaps Chemistry in the News,  or Molecule of the Day, or a story about a famous chemist or discovery.¹ Over a recent series of 18 lectures on organic reaction mechanisms, I introduced the novelty of passing an interesting and/or beautiful object round the class whilst talking about its chemistry. The students were physically involved in the experience, not just passively sitting and listening. 

Some people are described as kinaesthetic or tactile learners; they learn best by active 'doing' rather than in the usual visual or auditory modes.² I believe, however, that not just these particular students but everyone will enjoy a brief physical hands-on activity, during a lecture. 

I deliberately chose objects that had nothing to do with the subject matter of the lecture; many were not even organic in origin. The idea was to give the students a few minutes to relax, unwind, and refresh their minds - rather like a palate cleanser between the courses in a restaurant. I encouraged them to touch and feel the objects whilst considering what they were made of. I think it's vitally important to exercise our sense of touch; looking at pictures of things is not enough. For want of a better title, the interludes were called Touch and Think. I wanted to convey the idea that scientific knowledge and aesthetic appreciation are not antagonistic but rather they enhance each other. Too often the public misguidedly thinks that scientists 'destroy the magic' when beautiful things are analysed and explained. My students were persuaded, I hope, that such a belief is nonsense! 

Over the lecture series period, we looked at various categories of objects in these brief Touch and Think  sessions.