From microscale to full-scale practicals

Chemistry teachers can make practical work more accessible, quicker and safer by introducing microscale experiments. Where full-scale experiments can be cognitively demanding for students, microscale experiments allow students to gradually build confidence and knowledge. However, exams test students’ knowledge of the ‘required’ full-scale practicals. So, how can you transition from micro to macro? Here, digital learning head, chemistry teacher and part-time chemistry adviser at CLEAPSS, David Paterson, shares key strategies and tips to help you progress from microscale to full-scale practicals and, in doing so, lighten students’ cognitive load.