The challenges of practical work post-16

By 2021-08-23T05:48:00

A student in a practical chemistry class, using a pipette to add an amber coloured liquid to a flask

Source: © Science Photo Library

What are the difficulties students face when they begin to tackle experiments in their last years of secondary school chemistry?

Students choosing to study chemistry post-16 face challenges in developing their practical skills. Meeting those challenges can depend as much on whether teachers have the time and resources to carry out experiments as on students grasping more complex concepts.

Practical skills are assessed differently across the UK and Ireland, but the opportunity to practise some basic skills prior to senior study seems to be a common issue. This article looks at those issues for chemistry learning and teaching.

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