Practical homework assignments as part of chemistry teaching and learning

Abstract

The paper presents two examples of classroom practices when practical research tasks in primary and secondary school are assigned as homework. The task for primary school students was aimed at developing divergent thinking, which is evidenced and illustrated by some examples of students’ solutions. The task for secondary school students illustrates how these students are able to apply their classroom knowledge of acids, bases and indicators on the substances they can find in everyday life. The students performed the following activities: problem analysis, action planning, and equipment selection/assembling, performing the experiment, measuring (mass, volume), data recording, and drawing conclusions. The results of both tasks served as a basis for introducing new contents in the classroom and stimulated active participation of a larger number of students.