ERIC Number: EJ929912
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Mar
Pages: 2
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0269-2465
EISSN: N/A
The Alchemist of Today
Serret, Natasha
Primary Science, n112 p15-16 Mar 2010
Traditionally, alchemy has involved the power of transmuting base metals such as lead into gold or producing the "elixir of life" for those wealthy people who wanted to live forever. But what of today's developments? One hundred years ago, even breaking the four-minute mile would have been deemed "magic," which is what the alchemists of the past were accused of. In this article, the author investigates whether "alchemists" are a thing of the past or something for the future. Since science continues to advance one's understanding and developments, particularly of materials, the author believes that using some of these seemingly unexplainable ideas can stimulate interest in science and the developments that it has gone through. Bringing everyday materials into the primary science classroom remains an effective, relevant, and practical way of tapping into and developing children's conceptual awareness of the different properties of materials.
Descriptors: Science Interests, Science Instruction, Metallurgy, Scientific Concepts, Elementary School Science, Concept Formation, Teaching Methods, Scientific Principles
Association for Science Education. College Lane Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9AA, UK. Tel: +44-1-707-283000; Fax: +44-1-707-266532; e-mail: info@ase.org.uk; Web site: http://www.ase.org.uk
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A