This week, our HPL theme of the week has been metacognition, and the concept came to the fore in a Year 10 Chemistry lesson where students were encouraged to problem solve by recreating the complex structure of Buckminsterfullerene molecules.
Buckminsterfullerene molecules consist of cage-like, fused ring structures made of carbon atoms, that resemble footballs made of twenty hexagons and twelve pentagons. Working in teams, and using their problem-solving skills, Year 10 were tasked with creating their own versions of the structures. The task built on their learning from previous weeks where they had built ionic and covalent lattice structures, enabling their progression onto the more complex modelling needed for Buckminsterfullerene .
The way we approach complex ideas often promotes reflection as we inevitably make errors along they way. This in turn stimulates new ways of thinking and enables us to become more effective problem solvers – a great lesson for our students who certainly got very involved in the task!
