Our vision for practical chemistry education
By Aylin Ozkan, Royal Society of Chemistry education policy specialist
Practical chemistry activities are an essential part of an engaging, inspiring and relevant chemistry education.
In our 11-19 curriculum framework The elements of a successful chemistry curriculum, we share our vision for chemistry education through using ‘Big Questions’ as a narrative.
Within our framework, we highlight how practical activities are core in answering the big question ‘How Do We Do Chemistry?” and how they support the understanding of the subject as an empirical science.
We believe it is crucial that all learners should have access to relevant and regular practical chemistry activities throughout their chemistry education, which are sustainable, inclusive, accessible and have a clear purpose.
Practical chemistry activities help students learn and develop a wide range of skills, support their understanding of theoretical concepts and increase their motivation and enjoyment of chemistry.
In the Science Education Tracker 2023 published by the Royal Society, enjoyment of practical work was found to be the top motivation among students in years 7-9 for feeling encouraged to learn science.
Additionally, 28% of young people in years 10-13 stated that practical work or experiments had encouraged them to learn chemistry, making it science which is most associated with practical work out of biology, chemistry and physics.
However, teachers are finding it increasingly difficult to run practical chemistry activities in their classroom, with many different obstacles in their way.
In our Science Teacher Survey 2023, teachers told us about the barriers hampering their efforts to run practical chemistry activities within the science classroom:
- Insufficient time for practical work to be taught alongside theory (60%)
- Challenging student behaviour (51%)
- Cost of consumables and chemicals (37%) and a lack of equipment (35%)
- Having no time for training or practising (31%)
- Understaffing of science technicians (27%).
How do we make sure practical chemistry activities remain a core part of the chemistry curriculum?
A holistic approach must be taken to ensure that all young people have access to the education that they deserve. In the UK and Republic of Ireland, we recommend that:
- There is sufficient time within the curriculum to run a variety of practical chemistry activities. This would enable young people to develop a breadth of practical skills and improve their understanding on a wider range of scientific theories.
- Schools are supported to provide hands-on practical activities as a part of their curriculum through sufficient funding for consumables and equipment as well as enough science technicians.
- Teachers and school science technicians should have access to subject specific professional learning and development opportunities to increase their expertise and confidence when teaching and/or supporting practical chemistry activities.
- Practical chemistry activities must have a clear purpose and be related to the learning aims of the lesson.
- Practical chemistry activities must promote an equitable chemistry education and be designed with consideration to inclusivity and accessibility.
- The sustainability of practical activities should be considered at all stages, to aid with budget constraints and reduce the environmental footprint of practical chemistry in classrooms. Sustainability of practical chemistry can be improved through the consideration of the amount and type of chemicals used in the classroom and the type of experiments conducted.
To find out more about these asks, please see our newly published policy position on practical chemistry education.
What we are doing already
The Royal Society of Chemistry is committed to supporting teachers and developing work linked to practical chemistry activities. Alongside advocating for access to practical chemistry education for all, we are:
- Preparing questions on practical science for our Science Teacher Survey 2025.
- Offering continued professional development to teachers and technicians, through courses such as the Chemistry for Science Teachers and Experimental Extravaganza in North and South Wales.
- Supporting practical chemistry activities through our large collection of practical resources, including a microscale resources collection and core practical videos for ages 14-16 and 16-18.
Get involved in the discussion
- Watch members of our science technician and teacher community discuss the barriers they face when delivering and/or supporting practical science activities on YouTube.
- Read an article in Tes about the state of chemistry, featuring further input from Aylin.
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