Applying+Past+Knowledge+to+New+Situations

In chemistry, It's vital to be able to apply past knowledge to things that happen in the class from day to day. Without the application of learned materials in the classroom, it is difficult to truly understand the material being studied. However, not only do i apply material that i've learned in other classes to general chemistry, I also apply knowledge that I have recently obtained in chemistry.

For example, Ms.Knowles frequently shows the class examples of chemical reactions, and the risks that these reactions pose. By showing the class these reactions first, and demonstrating the dangers of chemical spills, and the addition of too much of a certain chemical to a solution, Ms. Knowles is preparing us to apply knowledge to our own experiments and labs.

The picture shown is an experiment that Ms. Knowles demonstrated for the class. This demonstration was meant to illustrate the fact that some chemical reactions take time to occur, and may not occur right away. Just because chemicals don't react immediately when they come into contact with one another does not mean that it is by any means safe to touch or expose yourself to these chemicals. The reaction shown in the picture took roughly ten minutes to start to even show signs of a reaction, and the starting material was white. and only filled the beaker halfway.

Later in the class, we broke up into groups and mixed different chemicals to cause various reactions. some of these reactions did not occur right away, because of Ms. Knowles' demonstration I was prepared for and was able to apply the knowledge I had learned to the chemical reactions my group performed.

Because of Ms. Knowles' demonstrations I am able to apply the knowledge I've learned to other activities that I participate in, in class. I am a very hands on learner, and simply reading about dangers or risks in a text book, or reading about how chemicals react doesn't fully help my understanding of the subject. When I visually see what's going on, like in the picture above, I can truly grasp the concept being taught.