There’s nothing quite so likely to strike terror into the heart of a science teacher as the realisation that there’s a new chemistry topic on the horizon - one you’ve never taught before - particularly if you specialise in biology.

I have found relief, much to my surprise, from Twitter - the latest front to be opened up by the Association of Science Education (ASE) in its quest to support science education. In fact, it has been a revelation and I have come across numerous new ideas and resources that have been of real benefit.

I didn’t know, for example, that celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal had produced chemistry resources in association with the Royal Society of Chemistry, called Kitchen Chemistry.

The ASE’s offering is #asechat, which hosts a weekly online discussion group for science educators. The rationale is to provide a forum for discussion between science educators on a different topic each week. A recent one, on teaching microbes, resulted in many excellent ideas being posted. It had never crossed my mind, for example, to use UV powder to show how microbes can be spread from one person to another.

For those who are new to Twitter, the concept is fairly simple. Once you are a registered Twitter user, you can search for #asechat and view each comment posted. The discussion takes place on a Monday evening during 8- 9pm.

Andrew Lochery is managing director of Green APL Education

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To find out more, read the ASE’s guide to #asechat at www.ase.org.uknewsase-chat

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