Are you looking to boost enrollment in your chemistry classes and ignite a passion for chemistry in your students? Many teachers face the challenge of motivating students who are often enrolled in chemistry classes by guidance counselors, rather than out of genuine interest. I’ve been there. I totally get it. Here’s my list of 14 ways to recruit even the most disinterested students into chemistry classes. (And to keep them in class once the year starts.)
Make it Relevant:
Show students how chemistry relates to their everyday lives. Whether it’s cooking, cosmetics, or environmental issues, there are countless real-world applications of chemistry that can pique their interest. There is nothing too small or irrelevant either. Your teenaged students, just learning to drive will appreciate gas laws when talking about tire pressure. Or maybe its polarity and like dissolves like, when applying Rain-X to their windshields.
Hands-On Experiments:
Nothing sparks curiosity like getting in the lab! I have a collection of 41 easy to prep lab experiments that I use for the whole school year. You can read about 14 of my favorites here. Or feel free to shop the collection, or snag the entire lab book.
With experiments, students get to see chemistry in action. The flame test is really what sold me on chemistry as a high school students. Encourage them to ask questions, make observations, and draw conclusions.
Use Technology:
Incorporate videos, animations, and interactive digital labs. At this point your students are going to expect this kind of learning. They spend all day scrolling Tiktok. The days of dry paper lecturing are over.
Sometimes students prefer the real life option, but other times, especially when safety is a concern, digital labs reign supreme. The concern could also come from lack of materials. I’ve been there too.
Connect with Pop Culture
Find ways to relate chemistry to popular culture, such as movies, TV shows, or current trends. By tapping into their interests outside of the classroom, you can make chemistry more relatable and interesting to students. I like to do this with analogies when I can. When I talk about single replacement reactions for example, I talk about the Brangelina situation… If you get it, you get it. (Although, I’m sure there’s a better pop culture reference these days…)
I was just teaching Nuclear Chemistry and loved that I was able to reference the Amazon Prime show Fallout, which is based on a video game. (Definitely not rated for children, just FYI)
Keep up with what your students are doing in their free time. It’s really easy to find plenty of chemistry connections.
Guest Speakers:
Invite professionals working in chemistry-related fields to speak to your class. Hearing from experts in the field can inspire students and show them the exciting career opportunities that await them with a background in chemistry. Doctors and nurses are great examples because they’ve taken chemistry classes and believe it or not, this is the most popular career choice when I poll my students.
I haven’t done this as the chemistry teacher, but I have been the guest speaker. I was a college student and went back to my own high school to talk to students about my time as a chemistry major. It was really cool. The kids asked great questions and it was clear it sparked interest.
This is also a great thing to share with the Science Department. Get a few guest speakers and pass them around the department all day long. I’ve done this with my environmental and anatomy classes in the past, working with the biology and earth science teachers. It was really great information for the students, but they also got to meet the experts in the field!
Field Trips:
Take your students on field trips to local laboratories, factories, or research institutions. Seeing chemistry in action in the real world can help students appreciate its importance and relevance. When I was teaching on Long Island, it was super common for the biology teachers to bring the students to Brookhaven National Lab (where DNA was extracted for the first time). There’s loads you can do with chemistry. I personally can’t stand field trips. Especially spending the day on a school bus… If you’re a field trip person, don’t forget this option.
Gamify Learning:
Turn learning into a game by incorporating educational games, quizzes, or competitions into your lessons. Gamification can make learning fun and engaging, motivating students to actively participate and learn. I do tons of this in my classroom. You can read more about how I use card sorts as games, turning worksheets into something more fun and some exam review options here.
Personalize Learning:
Different classes appreciate different methods. Same goes for different students. It totally depends on the kids in the room, but also the time of day. For some classes, “lone wolf” classwork works best. For other classes, group work is the best option. This can also come into your gamify options. Some classes loved my balancing chemical equations escape room, while others think its the worst experience of their life.
I know it’s hard to gauge these things. Especially for newer teachers and at the beginning of the year. You can ask students what they like and don’t like. Mine usually tell me they like food labs, and hate tests. But I remind them that while I love them and want them to have a good time, it’s not a democracy.
Celebrate Achievements:
Be a positive figure in your classroom. Congratulate students not just for right answers, but for asking good questions or seeking help in general. I’m sure you, a teacher who is reading this blog post, sometimes struggles with asking for help. (It’s almost like that’s programmed into teacher DNA.)
One of the ways I like to celebrate achievements is to include is with my Hall of Fame that I keep out in the hallway. When students score an 85 or better on a test, they get to be included in the confetti mess that lines the hall outside my classroom. My students can retake tests as many times as they like, so this is typically a source of motivation for my students.
Kids love being recognized! Displaying this in the hallway all year round is a great way to plant the seed in order to increase enrollment in chemistry classes!
Create a Positive Classroom Environment:
Foster a supportive and inclusive classroom environment where students feel comfortable asking questions, making mistakes, and sharing their ideas. A positive classroom culture can enhance student engagement and enthusiasm for learning. It makes you the favorite teacher of many students too. You come off as the “nice teacher.” And that reputation will certainly float the halls and increase enrollment in your chemistry class next year.
Create a Video that the Lower Science Teacher Can Share
I didn’t do this until the days of Covid. I created a video, just of myself talking a bit about what chemistry is and how it works. The biology teachers, (the class I was recruiting from) shared it with their students to encourage them to take chemistry.
If you’ve been collecting video clips, or photos of your classroom, your methods, or your labs (usually flashy is better) you can incorporate those. If you’re a little shy, you can do a voice over on top of these clips. Even better – have your students make a video! If your school has a social media page, send it to the admin to increase enrollment in chemistry classes!
Get Students Involved
As an end of the year project, you can have students create the promo video to show to biology students. This can be done individually, in groups or as a whole class. I’m sure they’ve been taking cool pictures! That’s all they do, right? Ask them to send some to you and you all can create the video together.
Create an “affiliate program.” Students who get 3 biology students to enroll in chemistry can get a prize. This can be a candy bar, a certificate from you or their favorite – extra credit! Have students talk to their friends about their experience (which I’m sure was great). Just figure out some way that your students can “prove” who they were able to recruit.
Create Recruiting Posters to Hang Around the School
This is something I’d do in Canva. There are plenty of templates there! And with a teacher email account, you can get access to all the cool stuff for free. Create something that speaks about you as a person (at least a little bit) and then stuff about chemistry. You can include:
- the things students will do throughout the year
- things students will learn
- how they will feel in your classroom
- perks about applying for college
- careers connected to chemistry
You Know Your School and Students Best
I’m sure you have a good understanding of the culture of your school and what will work to recruit students and increase enrollment in your chemistry classes. If you’re not settled on one or two of these ideas, ask another teacher what their opinion is.
By implementing one or two of these strategies, you can make chemistry come alive for your students and increase enrollment in your classes.Get ready to see your classroom filled with eager learners who are excited about chemistry! There’s really nothing better. Except being somebody’s favorite teacher.
If you need even more ways to make chemistry more engaging, read this post!
