Trainee, newly qualified and early career teachers ask the questions you daren’t, and our experts provide the answers. If you’ve got a question, email us
I am currently teaching at a college in the A-level department, and was just wondering if anyone had any good practices to share on how you ensure chemistry is accessible for all?
Anonymous, NQT
Catherine Smith, head of science, answers: There is a perception that only ‘naturally clever’ people can do chemistry. This becomes even more apparent within certain disadvantaged groups.
A good way to overcome this perception is to highlight examples of successful people who have worked hard rather than relied on natural talent. It is also important to help students realise that there are a range of career paths available – an A-level in chemistry is not just for future doctors or vets. The RSC’s Future in Chemistry site is a great starting point. I would also recommend using recent school alumni as role models. Having grown up in the same area, they are easily accepted by current students and bring with them credibility as someone who has overcome similar challenges.
Special educational needs can also make it difficult for some students to access the chemistry curriculum, especially practical work. This is where knowing your students as individuals is really important so that you can plan your delivery to directly address their specific needs. For some tips on ensuring practical work is accessible to all, I recommend this excellent article by Rob Butler, which provides a range of simple strategies that can be used depending on your student’s individual needs.
Read about the findings of the RSC’s Chemistry for All project looking into the barriers to participation in post-16 UK chemistry education.
Which is better for remote teaching – using a laptop’s built-in mic or a headset?
Anonymous, NQT
Matt Bell, trainee teacher and sometime audio tech journalist, answers: Generally, the closer you are when you speak into a microphone, the more your voice is captured clearly and intelligibly without the sound of your surroundings. The most commonly used spaces for lockdown teaching (domestic spare rooms and kitchens) tend to be full of hard surfaces that produce an unpleasant, boxy sound – a familiar ‘feature’ of many conference calls. This is because built-in laptop mics capture your voice plus the harsh sound of it reflecting off your tiled floor and fridge. But with a headset the mic is always at your mouth – so there’s more you in your lesson, and less fridge.
Headset headphones also cut out audio feedback problems that can lead to an intrusive delayed version of everything you say being added to your calls – another on-line conferencing ‘feature’ we’ve all experienced. They can even eliminate the kind of howling shriek we associate with bad live rock bands.
In short, for professional-sounding remote lessons, get a headset (as long as you don’t mind looking like you’ve just finished a shift at air traffic control). They’re not free with your computer, but a quick Google search brings up basic examples for under £10, and decent models for £30 and up.
Q: How can I make live lessons as interactive as possible for students?
Anonymous, RQT
Kristy Turner, school teacher fellow, answers: Live (video) lessons are a completely different dynamic to your usual classroom as you’re unlikely to have the visual cues you usually rely on. Adding planned interaction is a great way to increase engagement, as well as incorporate formative assessment.
How you do this will very much depend on what platform you’re using for teaching, as some integrate with external tools and apps better than others. Mentimeter works well with everything as it is just a webpage and students don’t need to sign in, they just use a code to access your Menti. You can live poll, generate word clouds and ask multiple choice questions. It’s also colourful and looks really slick.
I like to use it to uncover preconceptions about particular terms. It makes a good starter to get them switched on to the lesson topic. Though one word of warning: it is anonymous and so I would only use it where I trust the class to be sensible with their answers. We all know the rush of confidence and silliness that can sometimes be catalysed by anonymity!
Q Which is better for remote teaching – using a laptop’s built-in mic or a headset?
Anonymous, NQT
A: Matt Bell, trainee teacher and sometime audio tech journalist
Generally, the closer you are when you speak into a microphone, the more your voice is captured clearly and intelligibly, without the sound of your surroundings. The most commonly used spaces for lockdown teaching (domestic spare rooms and kitchens) tend to be full of hard surfaces that produce an unpleasant, boxy sound – a familiar ‘feature’ of many conference calls. This is because built-in laptop mics capture your voice, plus the harsh sound of it reflecting off your tiled floor and fridge. Whereas with a headset the mic is always at your mouth – so there’s more you in your lesson, and less fridge.
Headset headphones also cut out audio feedback problems that can lead to an intrusive delayed version of everything you say being added to your calls – another on-line conferencing ‘feature’ we’ve all experienced. They can even cut out the kind of howling shriek we associate with bad live rock bands.
In short, for professional-sounding remote lessons, get a headset (as long as you don’t mind looking like you’ve just finished a shift at air traffic control). They’re not free with your computer, but a quick Google search brings up basic examples for under £10, and decent models for £30 and up.
Q I am currently teaching at a college in the A-level department, and was just wondering if anyone had any good practices to share on how you ensure chemistry is accessible for all?
Anonymous, NQT
A: Catherine Smith, head of science
There is a perception that only ‘naturally clever’ people can do chemistry. This becomes even more apparent within certain disadvantaged groups.
A good way to overcome this perception is to highlight examples of successful people who have worked hard rather than relied on natural talent. It is also important to help students realise that there are a range of career paths available – an A-level in chemistry is not just for future doctors or vets. The RSC’s Future in Chemistry site is a great starting point (edu.rsc.org/future-in-chemistry). I would also recommend using recent school alumni as role models. Having grown up in the same area, they are easily accepted by current students and bring with them credibility as someone who has overcome similar challenges.
Special educational needs can also make it difficult for some students to access the chemistry curriculum, especially practical work. This is where knowing your students as individuals is really important so that you can plan your delivery to directly address their specific needs. For some tips on ensuring practical work is accessible to all, I recommend this excellent article by Rob Butler, which provides a range of simple strategies that can be used depending on your student’s individual needs (LINK).
Q How can I make live lessons as interactive as possible for students?
Anonymous, RQT
A: Kristy Turner, school teacher fellow
Live (video) lessons are a completely different dynamic to your usual classroom as you’re unlikely to have the visual cues you usually rely on. Adding planned interaction is a great way to increase engagement, as well as incorporate formative assessment.
How you do this will very much depend on what platform you’re using for teaching, as some integrate with external tools and apps better than others. Mentimeter works well with everything as it is just a webpage and students don’t need to sign in, they just use a code to access your Menti. You can live poll, generate word clouds and ask multiple choice questions. It’s also colourful and looks really slick.
I like to use it to uncover preconceptions about particular terms. It makes a good starter to get them switched onto the lesson topic. Though one word of warning: it is anonymous and so I would only use it where I trust the class to be sensible with their answers. We all know the rush of confidence and silliness that can sometimes be catalysed by anonymity!
No comments yet