Boost younger students’ grasp of atomic structure

By Louise Glynn2023-07-12T07:35:00

A student climbing three steps with different models of atoms and ions around

Source: Adapted from © Abert/Shutterstock

How to go beyond the simplistic when teaching this topic at 11–14, to help students achieve success at 14–16

In secondary education, we don’t look at atomic structure in detail until teaching 14–16 students. Here, chemistry teacher Louise Hussein argues that you can provide students with excellent foundations for later learning if you go a little deeper when teaching students this topic at 11–14. By splitting the foundations for these years into three key sections, she outlines an essential approach to teaching atomic structure to younger classes. These top tips will ensure the learning leap from 11–14 to 14–16 becomes simply the next step for students.

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