Teaching Strategies

Topic

Strategy Type

Topic	Strategy	Title	Description
General Chemistry Electronic Structure/ Electronegativity/ Shape	Active Learning Transitions and Engagement	Vary Your Approach	A topic like this is quite theoretical and if you approach it in a very didactic way, it can be very dry. It’s undoubtedly quite abstract, and if you present it in a fairly traditional way it’s even more so. Try to engage students with it, and get them to... more
General Chemistry Electronic Structure/ Electronegativity/ Shape	Representations Demonstration and Simulation	Use Models	Use models to illustrate shapes formed by molecules.
General Chemistry Electronic Structure/ Electronegativity/ Shape	Representations Models and Representations	Emphasize Reason For Multiple Models	We do Lewis Structures and then we do molecular orbital theory, and it's theory after theory and they say, 'Why do we have to do this theory and this theory and that theory?' You need to say 'Well, because they're all slightly different interpretations because we don't actually know how it is.... more
General Chemistry Electronic Structure/ Electronegativity/ Shape	Representations Models and Representations	Makeshift Models	Tell them to go to Spotlight and get some toothpicks and some polystyrene balls. The problem then is you don’t have the correct angles, but usually it’s enough to get it out of their head.
General Chemistry Electronic Structure/ Electronegativity/ Shape	Active Learning Practice Problems	Worked Examples	Use lots of worked examples.

Pages