Teachers of chemistry in middle and high school are faced with multifaceted pedagogical challenges. The subject matter is complicated, and the students come with a variety of needs, capabilities, and limitations. In this section, we offer several recommendations for practices and strategies that have been proven to optimize the teacher's ability to reach—and teach—all their students.
Another core idea for helping students grasp critical concepts in chemistry is to incorporate examples to which students can relate. This is a central strategy in culturally responsive teaching, which emphasizes framing instruction “within the lived experiences and frames of reference for students.”9 Using this strategy, educators can show how chemistry principles apply and are used throughout students’ lives.
Some popular sources of inspiration and ideas include:
- Science Coaches
An educational outreach program that pairs chemists (coaches) with AACT teacher members in elementary, middle, and high school to work together on a variety of projects - Careers and the Chemical Sciences
A section on the ACS website that lets visitors explore careers in industry, academia, government, and the non-profit sector - ACS Strategic Initiative on Fostering a Skilled Technical Workforce -
A program focused on recruiting and engaging a diverse group of potential employers and students who have not earned bachelor's degrees - ACS Local Sections
An easy way for teachers to make connections and network with local working chemists - Connecting to local phenomena
Check with regional news media for reports on developments that can spur discussion and inquiry about chemistry, including contaminated water supplies, wildfires, flooding, agricultural runoff, industrial accidents, train derailments, etc. - Promoting a feeling of belonging in chemistry education
Help all students understand the importance of diversity by incorporating the contributions of chemists from multiple races, ethnicities, cultures, and countries of origin - Exploring the synergies between chemistry and medical discoveries
For example, CRISPR technology’s potential to help people with sickle cell anemia, who are more likely to be of African descent. - ChemMatters Magazine
A resource presenting multiple ways to engage students with real-world applications of scientific concepts (published four times a year)
Additional sources of insight that may be helpful include professional organizations that focus on specific groups within the broader chemical enterprise, including:
These organizations produce a variety of public-facing events that provide networking opportunities for all, and in particular, for people from groups historically excluded from STEM. As a result, they can be very effective venues for making connections and expanding one’s network.
Chemists and chemistry professionals are as diverse as the elements on the periodic table. One of the ACS core values is inclusion and belonging. ACS is committed to creating environments where people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences thrive. Resources to help foster inclusion and belonging can be found at acs.org/inclusion.
In the classroom, teaching that the chemistry field is open to all people might include showcasing leaders and highlighting biographies of individuals who contributed to and are currently pioneering the field of chemistry. One approach is to ask students themselves to identify people who do chemistry with whom they identify. In addition to inclusion and belonging guides and tip sheets, other resources that teachers can rely on to support and promote inclusion and belonging include:
- ACS chemistry landmarks
- ACS webinars about nontraditional career options
- ACS webinars featuring inclusion and belonging topics
- ACS Proud to Be a Chemist campaign
This list is by no means exhaustive, but these resources may be good starting points that instructors can reference.
The American Chemical Society’s official mission is: “Advance scientific knowledge, Empower a global community, Champion scientific integrity.” In pursuit of that mission, the organization adheres to four core values:
- Passion for Science
- Lifelong Learning
- Inclusion and Belonging
- Sustainability
Teachers play a vital role in furthering this mission by helping all of their students recognize the role of chemistry in their lives and by encouraging them to explore the connections between course content and their lived experiences. In this way, teachers can help students understand and build on the cultural resources (knowledge, interests, and experiences) that they bring to the practice of scientific argumentation. This can increase student engagement and inclusion, especially for those from racial and ethnic groups historically excluded from STEM. Selecting culturally relevant phenomena helps engage all learners. This is often easier said than done, however, and the teacher might need to ask their students for their thoughts on what is culturally relevant to them personally.
One effective method is for teachers to engage with students to understand their connections to chemistry. This engagement can be in the form of class discussions about students’ hobbies, having students fill out questionnaires about their interests (technology, cosmetics, etc.), or other means. It’s also important to be observant about how students’ attitudes and engagement change over time, as they learn more about chemistry and its relationship to their lives.
A number of strategies to engage students from a wide variety of backgrounds are included throughout this Effective Strategies for Teaching Chemistry section. More ideas can be found in the book, Educating Everybody’s Children: Diverse Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners.10
Teachers should have high expectations for every student, at every level, from physical science to Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry. To meet the needs of all students, chemistry teachers should present information in multiple ways, using alternatives to engage everyone, including multilingual learners and those with varying cognitive abilities.
A teacher’s primary resource for understanding what supports are needed by students with disabilities are each student’s Individualized Education Plan or other documentation of the student’s accommodations.
Students who use sign language may have idioms that can make a concept more memorable, and students with limited mobility may need a more accessible way of conducting a laboratory procedure. Blind students may conduct experiments with a directed assistant, who performs operations as directed by the student and reports the results of each step.
To provide learning opportunities using multiple means, teachers can share information visually and verbally, or use symbols and words. Chemistry teachers have a distinct advantage because of the demonstrable nature of the subject; if a student doesn’t buy into a phenomenon, a demonstration or investigation can satisfy the student’s curiosity. All students benefit when teachers simultaneously display and name the apparatus to use, the chemical being discussed, the safety practice to follow, or the problem-solving strategy to implement.
Chemistry teachers can make chemistry personally and culturally relevant to a diverse student population by using regional or international examples. A case in point is the 2023 train crash in Palestine, Ohio, and the immediate and long-term effects of chemical hazards in nearby areas. Teachers can use relevant news stories to emphasize how chemistry affects communities in real life and examine how chemistry impacts communities in a variety of ways.
Many students will seek opportunities beyond a first-year chemistry course while in high school. To meet the needs of these students, science departments should consider offering AP or International Baccalaureate (IB) chemistry courses. Third-party organizations like the College Board and IB offer extensive syllabi for advanced high school chemistry, and also provide opportunities for professional development for teachers (see the Professional Development section).
Teachers can help students pursue their chemistry interests by connecting them with summer research opportunities, which are offered by many universities and government research labs. ACS ChemClubs is another program that can enrich learners. (See other options in the Extracurricular Activities section.) Above all, teachers of chemistry should offer students of all abilities and interests an avenue to expand their knowledge, experience, and appreciation of chemistry.
Last but not least, it is worth noting that each of the strategies listed above can help all students learn chemistry, but they can be especially helpful for multilingual students, students who have disabilities, and students who are neurodivergent.
Teaching students with disabilities can present challenges to some teachers. But with some preparation and planning, it can become an integral part of a teacher’s regular approach to teaching. Reevaluating procedures with accessibility in mind might also reveal safer techniques that all students can potentially benefit from. It starts with understanding the laws around the subject, including section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
ACS’s Committee on Chemists with Disabilities (CWD) has prepared a free downloadable eBook on this topic, Teaching Chemistry to Students with Disabilities, which goes into greater detail than is possible in this document. In essence, the guide provides resources and context to help teachers enable full participation by all their students in the classroom and the laboratory. The manual includes recommendations for teachers from pre-semester planning, to teaching during the semester itself, through testing and evaluation. It also includes resources about assistive technology and accessible computing, universal design, and other topics.
Another aspect of teaching chemistry is to help students develop chemistry and science literacy.
This type of insight is more than just knowledge of specific chemistry and science facts. As explained in user-friendly terms by the National Institutes of Health, science literacy comprises three core aspects: “content knowledge, understanding of scientific practices, and understanding of science as a social process.”11 Although it does include content knowledge, science literacy also incorporates understanding science as a way of knowing. For that reason, it emphasizes the core practices of doing science (such as designing experiments to test hypotheses, the peer review process, evidence-based reasoning, etc.).
Science literacy is a broader understanding that helps us analyze and understand our world as objectively as possible and allows people to take part in creating new scientific knowledge, as well as using existing information in new ways. It encompasses an understanding of scientific processes and practices, as well as of the ways in which science and scientists work. It also involves understanding science as a social endeavor: science does not exist in a vacuum, and the results and applications of scientific research can have important societal implications, both positive and negative. Last but not least, the concept of science literacy includes developing the ability to assess and evaluate scientific findings and to take part in civic discussions about the value of science.
To help students acquire this understanding, teachers should incorporate activities that require students to read, write, and engage in discussions regarding books and articles about science, scientists, and contemporary issues in science and society.
Possible sources include articles in ChemMatters, nonfiction science-themed books like Disappearing Spoon, articles of the week, etc. Some teachers of accelerated science classes have also had success introducing science fiction novels and short stories as part of their curriculum. Such readings give the teacher and students an opportunity to discuss and explore not only the truths contained in the books, but often societal inequities and other problems as well. Even in the earlier grades, teachers can assign books to read that incorporate more literacy functionality, with a science perspective, into the classroom. Chemistry Close Read is an activity, available on the AACT website, that offers a way for students to engage actively with the science texts referenced above.
These readings not only help students practice reading/writing skills but also learn about real-world applications of science. At the same time, reading these types of materials can be used to increase student interest and engagement with science more broadly. In addition, in districts where reading scores are low, rather than reduce time spent on science in order to focus on reading, science teachers can strive to incorporate select readings to supplement the traditional reading curriculum.
In nurturing students’ science literacy, teachers can be guided by one of the NGSS Science & Engineering Practices, “Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information,” which discusses various components of literacy. Activities should be designed to help students learn how to identify and evaluate information sources for reliability (including print, web, video, etc.). Another possible avenue is for a teacher to work with their school’s librarian to help students incorporate readings into research projects, evaluate sources, etc., and to communicate what they know about science in written and oral presentations.
