Case studies

Bonding with Learning Styles
Roger Wigham
South Hunsley

They can’t see them, nor can they touch them. What lies behind the formulation of formulae is a difficult concept yet something that needs to be understood when learning chemistry. These thoughts prompted Roger Wigham to look carefully at how he might teach this area whilst paying attention to the visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learning styles.

His solution was to develop a resource using laminated white paper cut into specific shapes, and a white board marker. Each shape represented either a metal or a non metal with different valences. So elements with valence 1 were the shapes

Elements with valence 2 became

And so on.

As an example, both the metal sodium (Na) and the non metal chlorine (Cl) have a valence of 1, so when fitted together to form sodium chloride the formula can be seen to be NaCl, one ‘part’ of each.

More complicated formula, such as aluminium oxide, could also be worked out when the students are provided with the valences for the metal aluminium (3) and the non metal oxygen (2).

The resource reveals to the students that to make the compound aluminium oxide it takes two atoms of aluminium (Al) to balance the three of oxygen (O), so the formula is Al2O3.

Roger now plans to develop these into more durable resources by making the shapes out of hand-sized whiteboards. He believes the idea could be used for simple word equations in Years 7 and 8, through to balancing equations in Years 9, 10 and 11. They could even be used to explain exothermic and endothermic reactions as bonds are broken and made.

By working out and physically fitting the shapes together, writing on the symbols, seeing the results and explaining the formulae, the students have been able to see and touch the intangible and discuss it with confidence. This method has helped to engage and clarify an important concept for them.