Why practical work builds reasoning

By Emily Rose Seeber2019-03-06T11:56:00

Illustration of female student observing a practical experiment whilst also thinking and using scientific reasoning

Source: © Claudia Flandoli

Develop students’ deductive and inductive skills

Much chemistry teaching relies on students’ deductive reasoning. For example, when teaching students about the reaction between alkenes and bromine water, we might tell them that alkenes decolourise bromine water, show students a different molecule and ask them to identify if it is an alkene, and then ask them if it will decolourise bromine water. The challenge is showing that the premises are true. How can we prove (beyond reasonable doubt) that chlorine is more reactive than bromine, and alkenes decolourise bromine water? This takes inductive reasoning.

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