ABSTRACT
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, theacceptance of numerous measures, such as mandatory wearing offace masks or social distancing, is declining. At the same time, thespread of fake news related to these measures is on the rise. Theacceptance of and compliance with the measures depends to alarge extent on knowledge about these very measures. For thisreason, there is a need for adequate formats inside and outside thechemistry classroom that examine the mitigation measures andrelated fake news more closely. The practical and problem-orientedapproach of the natural sciences provides a good basis forevaluating mitigation measures and fake news. Here, the focus isprimarily on the knowledge gained by conducting and evaluatingexperiments. For this reason, experiments related to measures andfake news on the COVID-19 pandemic were developed that can be carried out with household objects and chemicals. Allexperiments can be performed without much effort and are therefore intentionally designed to appeal to students and adults withlittle background in science. This paper presents a total of four experiments on the dispersion of aerosols and droplets, theeffectiveness of face masks, and the importance and mode of action of disinfectant and soap.KEYWORDS:General Public, High School/Introductory Chemistry, Public Understanding/Outreach, Distance Learning/Self Instruction,Hands-On Learning/Manipulatives, Misconceptions/Discrepant Events, Enrichment/Review Materials, Medicinal Chemistry,Nonmajor Courses, Student-Centered Learning
ABSTRACT
With regard to the Corona pandemic in the early 2020s, education (not only) in the natural sciences required a methodological and didactic rethink. For this reason, the Environmental-Make@thon was designed, carried out and evaluated. The participants spent a week intensively dealing with plastic waste and microplastics and designed innovative campaigns to solve the plastic waste problem. As a digital and innovative science communication format, the Environmental-Make@thon not only represents a creativity-enhancing, learning- and action-oriented setting, but also does justice to the social relevance of sustainability education.
ABSTRACT
Since students are often very susceptible to misinformation, (out )school formats are needed that make it possible to identify fake news. For this reason, a total of five science communication formats were developed, which are dedicated to the topic of "Fake News in the Corona Pandemic". These include, for example, a student lab setting and an innovative book. The formats can be seen as a supplement to chemistry lessons and enable the students to increase their competence. This article also presents two of the 13 experiments from the student lab setting and the book, which can also be used in chemistry lessons.