From Super Jelly to Hydrogel: Delivering Hydrogel Chemistry into Middle School Classrooms by Undergraduates as the Bridge between Professors and Students
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| Title: | From Super Jelly to Hydrogel: Delivering Hydrogel Chemistry into Middle School Classrooms by Undergraduates as the Bridge between Professors and Students |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Xiaoli Liu, Sirui Liu, Yichang Yao, Zimeng Ye, Hang Wang, Zhihao Chai, Yanhua Song, Xingyan Xu, Jiajia Liu, Jianbing Shi (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Chemical Education. 2023 100(12):4909-4916. |
| Availability: | Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 8 |
| Publication Date: | 2023 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Education Level: | Secondary Education Junior High Schools Middle Schools Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Secondary School Science, Chemistry, Middle School Students, Science Instruction, Teaching Methods, Undergraduate Students, Introductory Courses, Student Teachers, Science Activities, Hands on Science, Scientific Concepts, Science Experiments, Science Interests, Scientific Research |
| DOI: | 10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c00490 |
| ISSN: | 0021-9584 1938-1328 |
| Abstract: | Hydrogel is an interesting topic in polymer chemistry, which is closely related to daily life and advanced technology. In this paper, we report an activity to deliver hydrogel chemistry into middle school classrooms by undergraduates as a bridge between professors and students. During the activity, undergraduates act as a bridge to receive knowledge from professors, reprocess it, and finally deliver it to middle school students. The activity comprises a 60 min lecture and a 30 min hands-on experiment and aims to provide a deep understanding of hydrogel. The lecture starts from the jelly, a popular snack for students, in order to introduce hydrogels. Then, the various applications of hydrogels are mentioned to indicate why hydrogel materials are interesting and how hydrogel materials help doctors treat various diseases. Moreover, middle school students expand their minds from everyday applications to advanced technologies by engaging in discussions as well as a hands-on experiment. The survey before and after the activity shows it can play an important role in helping middle school students understand hydrogels and sprout their interest in chemistry. The activity has been successfully held in four local middle schools and more sessions are planned to be held in more middle schools in the near future. Undergraduates also deepened their understanding of hydrogel chemistry and sprouted their interest in scientific research in this activity. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1445677 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Hydrogel is an interesting topic in polymer chemistry, which is closely related to daily life and advanced technology. In this paper, we report an activity to deliver hydrogel chemistry into middle school classrooms by undergraduates as a bridge between professors and students. During the activity, undergraduates act as a bridge to receive knowledge from professors, reprocess it, and finally deliver it to middle school students. The activity comprises a 60 min lecture and a 30 min hands-on experiment and aims to provide a deep understanding of hydrogel. The lecture starts from the jelly, a popular snack for students, in order to introduce hydrogels. Then, the various applications of hydrogels are mentioned to indicate why hydrogel materials are interesting and how hydrogel materials help doctors treat various diseases. Moreover, middle school students expand their minds from everyday applications to advanced technologies by engaging in discussions as well as a hands-on experiment. The survey before and after the activity shows it can play an important role in helping middle school students understand hydrogels and sprout their interest in chemistry. The activity has been successfully held in four local middle schools and more sessions are planned to be held in more middle schools in the near future. Undergraduates also deepened their understanding of hydrogel chemistry and sprouted their interest in scientific research in this activity. |
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| ISSN: | 0021-9584 1938-1328 |
| DOI: | 10.1021/acs.jchemed.3c00490 |
