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Previous symposia
Previous symposia
There have been twelve meetings in the past the past 25 years.
Bob's first meeting
Bob's first meeting
Hickman still distillation
In 2011 Dr Stephen Breuer of Lancaster University, who had developed a wonderful small-scale organic set said I should go to the Kuwait meeting in place of him. I was about to retire from CLEAPSS and felt it would be interesting to visit a country with a completely different way of life.
I was initially quite scared. The initiatives CLEAPSS had proposed in the UK were aimed at improving safety after complaints from school employers (local education authorities) that many experiments carried out in schools were leading to civil action by parents and guardians after incidents. Some incidents even led to prosecutions under the UK safety law.
Those teachers and academics I met in Kuwait were trying to encourage practical work in schools without the obvious labs and technicians that we enjoyed and took for granted in the UK.
In Kuwait, I met John Bradley who promoted chemistry kits for students in the South African veldt. UNESCO used these kits to expand and promote the subject in many other countries in Latin America and South and Southeast Asia.
It was a relief that my ideas at CLEAPSS were welcomed as genuine attempts at small-scaling the subject. I even ended up in the Kuwait Breakfast TV studios with John and our wonderful host Abdulaziz Alnajjar showing the microscale electrolysis of aqueous copper chloride on TV.
I had met a group of university teachers who were as interested in helping teachers in schools as they were in their own pioneering research and university teaching. Those of us who were in school education were treated with respect and as equals. The friendliness and camaraderie, focused on bringing practical chemistry to as wide a diverse audience as possible, made a deep impression on me. It solved what I was to do during retirement.
The Modern Radmaster Microchemistry kit
The 12th ISMC in Bangkok
The 12th ISMC in Bangkok
The layout for the 3-hour microscale exhibition workshop before hundreds of school and university teachers arrived.
The 12th ISMC was held alongside the 2024 IUPAC International Conference on Chemistry Education outside Bangkok, Thailand. The event made a great impression on those who went from the UK (https://www.rsc.org/news-events/community/2024/10-october/thailand-iupac/ ).
Our experience in the UK was showing that these ideas explored and challenged misconceptions amongst students and teachers, allowed longer times for teaching, led to better organisation in the classroom and were less stressful for students.
Fiona Roberts (surely, the first school technician at an IUPAC conference) showed how materials were stored in small spaces and how the techniques can be adapted for students with special needs. Matthew Smith demonstrated that intellectual rigour is not lost (as previously claimed by some teachers) using these techniques. Magda Polec of CLEAPSS led the team in the walk-round 3-hour exhibition from over 10 counties (and won a prize in the poster competition). Robert Campbell showed that pioneering these techniques with trainee teachers gave them extra confidence. (https://edu.rsc.org/feature/microscale-makes-teachers-and-learners-mighty-confident/4021438.article ).
Abdulaziz, John and Bob on Breakfast TV with the excellent interviewer (who also did the weather).
Three factors stood out for me:
1. The idea of a walk-around exhibition-festival of practical work from over 10 countries. It was so much more effective than individual workshops.
2. The contribution made by the Thai and Taiwanese teachers and student teachers in developing equipment and ideas:
a. see Carbon Capture
b. see the tiny salt bridge
c. the idea of the personal hotplate made from a drinks can which CLEAPSS have made safe to use
3. The focus of practical work towards a goal relevant for the future of the planet, encapsulated in the 17 United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (UNSDGs).
a. see acid rain
b. see making soap
c. see catalysis
The Personal Hotplate, made safe at CLEAPSS
The 13th ISMC in London
The 13th ISMC in London
Matthew Smith suggested his school, St Paul’s School in London, would make an ideal meeting place for the 13th ISMC, and I agreed, as it has great labs, lecture rooms, and on-site catering. I would like to thank Sally-Anne Huang, High Master of St Paul’s School, for agreeing to this event.
I hope you enjoy the occasion.
Bob
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