4 Summary

In this unit you have learned about some of the things that make carbon compounds a difficult topic, and how you can use different approaches to help your students to develop appropriate mental models.

Whatever topic you are teaching, it is important to use a range of approaches to help your students develop appropriate mental models. This unit has focussed on a small range of strategies. A key element in all of these is the use of questions to help your students to become aware of the features of the model they are using, including any possible limitations. It is also important to use these models to structure and reinforce the learning process, don’t try to introduce too many ideas in any one lesson.