I have just returned from Japan. I had been invited by Professor Kazuko Ogino (seated centre) along with Professor Jorge Ibanez from Mexico, Professor Supawan Tantayanon from Thailand (see Feb 2016 blog), Dr Abdulazziz Alnajarr from Kuwait and Dr Marie Dutoit from South Africa, who pioneered the MyLab chemistry kit. There were invited Japanese University lecturers and schoolteachers from Japan as well. What we had in common was a passion for the microscale approach to chemistry in both education and research.
Just to be in their presence is awe-inspiring; that they accept my approach and ideas in microchemistry in education is humbling but inspires me to deflect comments I hear in the UK such as;
I only do a microscale approach if it adds more information, is more time-efficient or provides a deeper insight to the phenomena than the traditional version “with the proper gear”.
In the opening session, Jorge received a special presentation celebrating his immense contribution to the microscale approach both in research and education. I then lead the opening session by providing a workshop of 8 of the basic experiments, along with demonstrations in making propene, the Hofmann Voltameter and the CLEAPSS colorimeter, which caused great interest. My finale was the hydrogen/oxygen rocket which hit the ceiling so as everything was working, I added an encore; bursting a balloon with drops of orange oil from the squeezed skin of an orange. With a professor holding the balloon, it naturally worked. I had over 60 lecturers, teachers and teaching students in the room. I have never had that in the UK. But teachers in Japan are allowed 2 days of subject related CPD a year. I am grateful to Hideyuki Sawatari for the translations and both he and Professor Orgino received their CLEAPSS mug and bunny!
- “I thought microscale was only for the less able”,
- “If it's not already written into a practical scheme of work as microscale my teachers will not consider any suggestions or deviations from the script. They can only comprehend "small-scale" to mean "demonstration"”
- “I suppose if a school were not to have sufficient funds to buy in the proper gear then this would be way to go. In general, I feel if you have the right equipment then use it, don't dumb down science for the sake of it.”
I only do a microscale approach if it adds more information, is more time-efficient or provides a deeper insight to the phenomena than the traditional version “with the proper gear”.
In the opening session, Jorge received a special presentation celebrating his immense contribution to the microscale approach both in research and education. I then lead the opening session by providing a workshop of 8 of the basic experiments, along with demonstrations in making propene, the Hofmann Voltameter and the CLEAPSS colorimeter, which caused great interest. My finale was the hydrogen/oxygen rocket which hit the ceiling so as everything was working, I added an encore; bursting a balloon with drops of orange oil from the squeezed skin of an orange. With a professor holding the balloon, it naturally worked. I had over 60 lecturers, teachers and teaching students in the room. I have never had that in the UK. But teachers in Japan are allowed 2 days of subject related CPD a year. I am grateful to Hideyuki Sawatari for the translations and both he and Professor Orgino received their CLEAPSS mug and bunny!
What was amazing about this meeting was that we moved from a school based activity to examples of academic research. We moved from my workshop to a workshop in advanced environmental uses, from making paper in schools to paramagnetic ion pair liquids (see right), from dying fibres schools to analysing fibres in a systematic way (I used a new heterogeneous catalyst to me; sulfuric acid on a silica support, must try). Those in academia, had adapted a part of their research to communicate practically with teachers, students and the public at large. As many of the chemicals are expensive, certainly from a school perspective, microscale is the way to go. I know this is done by outreach talks in the UK but here we had the actual lecturers actively demonstrating their passion for what they do and it showed.
And it was wonderful to meet lecturers and professors who wanted carry out school level experiments; to crack liquid paraffin with me, dye and cloth with Marie. They did not stand back and look on, they "got stuck in" as we say in the UK. The finale in the laboratory was a workshop to make brilliant copper leaves, a Japanese art form but now promoted as an outreach experiment (see below).
Professor Ozuko showed her wonderful microelectrolysis experiments in well-plates which are done by primary children to university students. She retains that love of practical chemistry and innovation which binds the microscale family together.
I am extremely grateful to her for inviting me to Tohuko University in Sendai, and the generosity of their sponsors. (Also to CLEAPSS fro encouraging me as well!) But that group of chemists consisitng of professors, lecturers, lecturers in chemical education, teachers and students in education made a wonderful mix, showing that that information could cross-link over a wide divide of experience. I felt it was a good message to share amongst you all.
And it was wonderful to meet lecturers and professors who wanted carry out school level experiments; to crack liquid paraffin with me, dye and cloth with Marie. They did not stand back and look on, they "got stuck in" as we say in the UK. The finale in the laboratory was a workshop to make brilliant copper leaves, a Japanese art form but now promoted as an outreach experiment (see below).
Professor Ozuko showed her wonderful microelectrolysis experiments in well-plates which are done by primary children to university students. She retains that love of practical chemistry and innovation which binds the microscale family together.
I am extremely grateful to her for inviting me to Tohuko University in Sendai, and the generosity of their sponsors. (Also to CLEAPSS fro encouraging me as well!) But that group of chemists consisitng of professors, lecturers, lecturers in chemical education, teachers and students in education made a wonderful mix, showing that that information could cross-link over a wide divide of experience. I felt it was a good message to share amongst you all.