Life cycle assessments

 Which has the best life cycle assessment?  Do plastic bags or paper do the most environmental damage? The students were horrified that the plastic bag was more environmentally friendly. This sparked a tremendous environmental debate on how to make better paper bags or an alternative.

Wireless Thermometers

 The @pascoscientific thermometers are probably one of the most useful items of kit that we have. Used virtually every day in one experiment or another, they are more unbreakable than the glass analogue ones, and the students can read the values. What is there not to like.

Solving Quadratics

 Solving Quadratics using the formula on paper as a surd and then converting the answer to a decimal in the calculator, using the formula typed into the calculator, or using the polynomial solver. I teach all three and let the students decide the most appropriate to use when needed.

Eclipse

Using a Tellurium to demonstrate an eclipse. Why doesn't an eclipse happen every month, and how the moon's phases work. Being able to see the moon's orbit and then the size to scale dispels many of the preconceived ideas the students have of space.

Translation

 Translation of RNA to Proteins is one of the hardest concepts and mechanisms for students to understand. Using the @Molymod molecules, the students can visualise and play with the models to improve their understanding.

Keyword Variables

Dependent variable is the variable of which the value is measured for each and every change in the independent variable. 

Independent variable is the variable for which values are changed or selected by the investigator

Adder

 Computing understanding Boolean logic gates. We created an adder using some logic software and turning tumbles, as well as creating the circuit using a BBC Microbit controlling physical chips to light LEDs - at this scale, a computer chip would be miles across.