Teachers can use chemistry kits to ignite a spark for science

South Africa’s students are far behind other countries when it comes to the physical sciences. In its latest competitiveness report, the World Economic Forum ranked South Africa 128 out of 137 countries for math and science education. It is behind many of its neighbors in the Southern African Development Community.

Physical science includes chemistry as well as physics. The subject is not mandatory for the matric year, which is the final year of secondary education. Only 32% of South Africa’s 558133 matriculants took the 2017 examination. About 40% of the 558 133 matriculants in South Africa passed the exam. Very few achieved the required standard for university science and engineering degrees at one of the five top universities.

This has remained the same over the last decade despite many curriculum changes. What’s the issue?

Many factors contribute to the poor performance of learners at the school level. Teachers’ inability to teach content and lack of knowledge of the methods for teaching it effectively is one issue that stands out.

Many students, especially those who are studying chemistry, see science as a textbook subject. During science lessons, they rarely have the chance to explore everyday scientific events. c*hemRoots attempts to fill this gap.

This initiative was born out of a research post-doctoral project which developed a teaching kit. This kit is unique and innovative. It’s not a box of chemicals to be used for curriculum-required experiments. It’s actually a collection that allows teachers to demonstrate theoretical concepts through practical activities.

Teachers can use materials like vinegar or lemon juice to support their teaching. These materials have proven to be effective at supporting teachers in classrooms around the world.

Alternative Teaching Strategies

Teachers in developed countries have access to support materials such as these. Publishers Wiley-VCH, for example, have published a resource booklet that describes chemistry experimentation using products found in a grocery store.

South Africa has very few chemistry textbooks, and those that are available don’t align with the curriculum.

We consulted with 60 teachers from Gauteng, Western Cape, and North West to design our kits. This allowed us to test the materials in the classroom and implement the feedback.

These kits include basic household products like vinegar and baking soda and indicator solutions like red cabbage juice (compounds that change color when exposed to a base or acid). They are packaged in convenient dropper bottles that can be purchased over the counter.

The teacher’s manual, which describes the different ways of using the material and elaborates on its content, is included.

We run workshops with the local education department and subject advisors to prepare teachers to use their kits. This section shows how the materials can be used in a variety of teaching environments. Teachers are encouraged to modify the activities to fit their specific teaching context.

Carbon dioxide is produced when an acid, such as vinegar, reacts with a base (such as baking soda). Gas will inflate a balloon when you cover the opening in the bottle where this reaction occurs. This is a simple demonstration that can be used to help explain concepts such as chemical equilibrium.

These activities do not replace the formal investigations that are required in the curriculum. They are alternative teaching strategies that use real-world phenomena as a starting point to discuss the science behind the observed phenomenon.

Next Steps

Teachers in the Western Cape have received very positive feedback about the first c*hemRoots kit. The teachers also requested that we consider expanding the materials in the kits to include other topics that students find difficult.

C*hemRoots, an initiative of the Centre of Excellence in Catalysis at the University of Cape Town ( Change), is a project of the Centre of Excellence in Catalysis. We are now looking for funding to expand this initiative to cover more topics and distribute kits to all science teachers in the country.

The project will also include the creation of a web-based platform and accredited short courses for long-term sustainability. Teachers will be able to share their ideas, ask questions, and create a professional community.

c*hemRoots may have a new role. Mmamoloko Kugyi-Ngubane, Minister of Science and Technology, announced a draft proposal for mandatory community service to be introduced by graduates in science and mathematics from public universities. They would then be required to teach in schools where there is a shortage of skills.

These graduates may have a wealth of knowledge, but they lack the expertise needed to explain complex content. These kits would make their job easier and help their students learn more about chemistry.