An Effective Method of Introducing the Periodic Table as a Crossword Puzzle at the High School Level

• Autores: Sushama D. Joag
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 91, Nº 6, 2014, págs. 864-867
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • A simple method to introduce the modern periodic table of elements at the high school level as a game of solving a crossword puzzle is presented here. A survey to test the effectiveness of this new method relative to the conventional method, involving use of a wall-mounted chart of the periodic table, was conducted on a convenience sample. This sample comprised over 200 school students learning introductory chemistry in India. The study sample of about 100 students was identified on the basis of a test. In the new method, a blank chart of the modern periodic table was used as an educational aid. Students entered symbols of elements in the blank chart in a manner very similar to solving a crossword puzzle by making use of clues provided to them. The scores of the tests conducted before and after the introduction to the periodic table to the treatment and control groups of the students, by the new and the conventional method, respectively, were analyzed. The comparison demonstrated the new method to be more effective than the conventional method in facilitating the students in constructing knowledge through hands-on learning regarding the structure and characteristics of the periodic table, namely, the periodicity and the predictability of elemental properties.