The experience of introducing 8–10 y.o. children into chemistry

Abstract

The experience of introducing 8–10 y.o. children is described and reflected in connections with modern education theories and approaches. The cognitive, psychomotor and affective outcomes were evaluated by (a) observation of the children in the laboratory and (b) individual interviews. Eight to ten y.o. children can be introduced into chemistry by quite complicated hands-on activity. The experiments should be quite bright, a little risky and employ different equipment. Such skills as dissolution, heating, weighting, grinding, filtering, boiling can be developed, at first – one at a time and then – in combinations. The initial instructions should be given in the way “do as I do”. Theoretical discussions should be restricted. In this age children do not ask questions “why” that makes inquiry-based learning impossible. Thus the main developmental purpose for this age should be maintaining interest to chemistry, developing observational and procedural skills and accumulating experience that would serve as groundwork for further studying chemistry.

Keywords

• experimental learning
• informal learning
• inquiry based learning
• laboratory work
• primary school