Chemistry Archives - iMatter Learning Centre. Tuition Centre in Yishun. Small class size

05Oct 2021 by Principal

Why Science is the Most Interesting Subject

Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Science, Tuition

"In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not."— Albert Einstein By Mr Kwok In Science, one of our favourite quotes is shown above. We always stress to our students that there are gaps between textbook knowledge and real life applications so it pays to get hands-on to have a firm grasp of the subject matter. Therein lies the reason why Science is the most interesting subject - hands-on work in Science engages the learner like no other subject can. How often do you get to apply the theories you learned at so many different levels - visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, olfactory and even taste (if you are working on Food Science)? Establishing these many connections among various centres in the brain can only enhance long term…

25Mar 2021 by Principal

Training RGS Teachers for their School’s Learning Journey

Biology, Chemistry, Enrichment, Humanities, News, Opinion, Science

It has always been our stand that education should involve out-of-classroom activities. They expose the student to hands-on work and real life observations not possible to replicate in the classroom. The obvious choice to apply this principle is Science, with its branches of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. However, it can certainly apply to other subjects such as History, Geography, Social Studies and more. Raffles Girls' School (RGS) has brought this principle into practice by organising a series of Learning Journeys to MacRitchie Reservoir for its students. The Learning Journey is loosely based on the ABC Waters Learning Trail @ MacRitchie published by PUB (Public Utilities Board). It involves getting to know Singapore's Water Story, history of the reservoir, the story behind World War II hero, Lim Bo Seng, geography of…

04Dec 2020 by Principal

Parachuting Cats into the Borneo jungle – a cautionary tale for Science

Biology, Chemistry, Opinion, Science, Tuition

This is one of those stories that approach urban myth status. We have not found corroborating evidence to prove the veracity of the story. Interestingly, Singapore is briefly featured in the story. If you have not heard of it, here's a link to an online video. To avoid giving out any spoilers here, we will only touch on the barest of background information. Regardless of how historically correct the story is, we shall focus on the lessons for our readers and students. The story was set in 1950s Borneo where malaria ran rampant. Unfortunately, the solution was not as straightforward as planned and brought about many unforeseen consequences. 4 Lessons from the Story In Science, one of our favourite quotes is from Albert Einstein, "In theory, theory and practice are…

15Sep 2020 by Principal

Learning about Science, Chemistry and Biology from the Fascinating Leech

Biology, Chemistry, Science

Leeches are one of my favourite animals because they are so tough. When one latches on to your delicate skin, popular media suggest using fire, salt, medicated oil and a plethora of other substances to dislodge it. Salt does work but does anyone actually carry a vial of salt for a jungle trek? Fire should work but the leech will outlast the fire long after you cringe away from the heat. As for medicated oil, well, it is probably the most practical solution though personally, I make use of a different approach. More will be discussed about this approach in a future post. A Living Classroom in a finger sized package Do not mistake a leech as a brute latching on your skin, biting its way through and sucking its…

19Aug 2020 by Principal

Experiential Learning of Acidity in Science through Experimentation

Chemistry, Science, Tuition

By Mr Chen In iMatter, Science is a passion among our tutors and we work to inculcate it in our students. Perhaps sounding cliched, we wholeheartedly believe that Science is Everywhere. Science is not a subject to be studied solely by theory. Book knowledge has to be reinforced and nurtured through hands-on experimentation and observation. If the Science student has the opportunity to conduct field work, more power to him! The Trouble with COVID-19 Unfortunately, the past few months of the COVID-19 situation has somewhat dampened the experiential aspect of Science. Schools and their laboratories were closed. Public venues e.g. Science Centre, Marina Barrage were likewise closed to the public. A student interested in biology, hydrology or ecology could not even visit our parks and nature reserves to observe Science…

06May 2020 by Principal

Join our Crash Courses during the May 2020 School Holidays!

Biology, Chemistry, Chinese, COVID-19, Crash Course, English, Math, Online Teaching & Learning, Revision, Science

Prepare your child for PSLE and 'O' Levels with our online Crash Courses Does your child need an intense revision of what he has learned previously? Our online Crash Courses reinforce the knowledge and understanding critical to preparing for the coming examinations. Crash Courses are available for the following subjects. Check our schedule here. They are open to both our centre’s regular students and any other students of the right academic level. PSLE ‘O’ LevelsEnglishMathMathChemistryScienceBiologyChineseChinese Call or WhatsApp us at 8768 6497 or email us at info@imatter.com.sg to find out more and register. Hope to see your child in our Crash Courses!

03Mar 2020 by Principal

Join our Crash Courses during the March School Holidays!

Biology, Chemistry, Chinese, English, Math, Revision

Prepare your child for PSLE and 'O' Levels with our Crash Courses Does your child need an intense revision of what he has learned previously? Our Crash Courses reinforce the knowledge and understanding critical to preparing for the coming examinations. Crash Courses are available for the following subjects. Check our schedule here. They are open to both our centre’s regular students and any other students of the right academic level. PSLE ‘O’ Levels P5-6 English Creative WritingMathMathChemistryScienceBiologyChineseChinese Call or WhatsApp us at 8768 6497 or email us at info@imatter.com.sg to find out more and register. Hope to see your child in our Crash Courses!

17Nov 2019 by Principal

Science Tuition Class Practical Hands-on: Do you need a Potato for a Potato Battery?

Chemistry, Science, Tuition

What better way to ingrain in our Science students the application of Science in actual hands-on work! The potato battery has been used in school experiments for a long time. While commercial kits are available, we decide to get our hands wet and dirty to make one from raw materials and bits and pieces of electrical apparatus as described a previous post. Today, we revisit the potato battery and attempt to make one out of fruit/vegetable other than a potato. Theory of Our Battery For a good discussion of how a potato battery works, refer to our previous post which mentioned the Reactivity Series or Electrochemical Series. It also talked about the potato acting as an electrolyte to conduct an electric current within the battery. For this experiment during our…

05Oct 2019 by Principal

Science Tuition Class Practical Hands-on: Making a Potato Battery

Chemistry, Science, Tuition

What better way to ingrain in our Science students the application of Science in actual hands-on work! The potato battery has been used in school experiments for a long time. While commercial kits are available, we decide to get our hands wet and dirty to make one from raw materials and bits and pieces of electrical apparatus. Common Misconception Most students (and some adults) believe that the energy of a Potato Battery comes from the potato. But no. Its energy comes from the 2 different metals inserted into the Potato Battery. They differ in their reactivity according to the Reactivity Series or Electrochemical Series - a concept which is only covered in Upper Secondary Chemistry. In our hands-on experiment, we at first tried a copper strip and a screw. The…