This article describes low-cost well plates that can be used as alternative kits for microscale experiments. Although ordinary well plates are useful and convenient for microscale experiments, they are not cheap. We have developed well plates composed of plastic bottle caps with approximately 3cm diameter and cardboard containers. Plastic bottle…

To improve the quality of education, it is important for teachers to have an understanding of action research. Action research is 'learning by doing', which involves identifying a problem, looking for a plan to resolve it, observing how successful it is and, if not satisfied, trying again. Action research helps educators to be more effective in…

The Next-Lab project provides free web-based resources supporting teachers in enhancing students' learning experiences. By including online laboratories, experiments otherwise difficult or impossible to perform are facilitated (e.g. crashing meteoroids into Earth). This article briefly presents the project and opportunities offered to teachers and…

The double-wall paper cup is an everyday object that can be used in the laboratory to study heat transfer. The experiment described here has been done by physics students aged 12-13 years; it can also be used in a different context to prompt debate about environmental issues.

Natural products are ubiquitous in nature but do not form a large proportion of the A-level syllabuses in the UK. In this article we briefly discuss a small selection of natural products, focusing on alcohols, aldehydes and ketones, and alkaloids. We then outline two natural product experiments that are suitable for A-level chemistry clubs or…

Social media are a highly visible factor in the daily lives of our students. Why should teachers not take advantage of this and develop teaching and learning materials that use the designs found in such media to contextualise science learning? This article suggests some ideas for creating lab instructions using social media design as an innovative…