How to harness social media to teach the development of the periodic table

Hands holding mobile phones with fictional social media posts by John Dalton

Source: Composite: hands and icons © Shutterstock; List of Elements with Symbols and their Relative Weights

Help students understand how scientific ideas are developed by creating social media posts from historic scientists

Recent changes to GCSE chemistry specifications have placed increased focus on how scientific ideas and explanations develop over time as new evidence emerges. For example, the development of the modern periodic table. Analysing early versions of the periodic table is an interesting area of study; however, it can often be content heavy and difficult to emphasise to students what they need to know. To combat this, I took a step back from the content and thought about how I could simplify the core ideas to help my students understand the importance of the scientific process without getting too overwhelmed. I wanted to present this in a format they are used to, and employ the use of clear, accessible language; hence Social media scientists was born. 

Thanks for using Education in Chemistry. You can view one Education in Chemistry article per month as a visitor. 

A photograph of a teacher standing in a white lab coat, speaking with a class of children in a laboratory, is superimposed on a colourful background. Text reads "Teach Chemistry means support for classroom and staff room".

Register for Teach Chemistry for free, unlimited access

Registration is open to all teachers and technicians at secondary schools, colleges and teacher training institutions in the UK and Ireland.

Get all this, plus much more:

  • unlimited access to resources, core practical videos and Education in Chemistry articles
  • teacher well-being toolkit, personal development resources and online assessments
  • applications for funding to support your lessons

Already a Teach Chemistry member? Sign in now.

Not eligible for Teach Chemistry? Sign up for a personal account instead, or you can also access all our resources with Royal Society of Chemistry membership.