‘Olympic Rings’ , ‘The Monkey and the Hunter’ and ‘Electric Sausages’...

Demonstrations of course.....

Demonstrations can invoke a sense of wonder and motivate learners, but for non specialist teachers, it can be a challenge to ensure that the demo works and the explanation that accompanies a demonstration develops the students' understanding of the learning objectives! I have produced resource lists full of ideas for demonstrations in chemistry, physics and biology lessons. You will need to log in or quickly register to view these lists.

From the ambitious and stunning ‘magnesium sandwich’ demonstration to the simple but magical ‘pulsing reaction’, there are demonstrations to suit most levels of confidence and experience. I’ve also picked out some videos that explain how to use some of the equipment, such as signal generators and van de Graaff, with more confidence, as well as a video explaining why some reactions never seem to work properly!

For a little advice on what to consider when you’re planning a demo, Alom Shaha, physics teacher, film maker and writer, has produced some very useful tips in his article The Use of Demonstrations in Science Teaching.

Karen Hornby, Science Specialist, National STEM Centre