More than twenty multi-discipline teachers, from across Northern Ireland, spent two full days in Aquinas this week in the first part of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Chemistry for Non-Specialists training course.

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) was the chief sponsor of the event,  in collaboration with the national network of Science Learning Centres (SLCs) and supported by an unrestricted educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

Developed by the RSC, in conjunction with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and GSK, the course has trained over 1500 teachers between 2006 and 2009.

This course is designed to provide teachers with the confidence, flair and enthusiasm to teach chemistry at KS3 or KS4. It is specifically aimed at those who are not chemistry specialists.

The main learning outcomes of the course are:

  • to increase your understanding of chemistry topics at KS3 and/or KS4,
  • to become more confident and competent in the teaching of chemistry,
  • to provide rehearsed, relevant and interesting practical experiments and demonstrations to help inspire and engage your students,
  • to develop an understanding of common student misconceptions regarding the teaching of chemistry and how these can be addressed,
  • to develop the effective use of scientific models relevant to the teaching of chemistry.

The second two days of training will take place later in March.