Deborah Gater
@dgater1.bsky.social
1.4K followers 690 following 810 posts
Chemist. Educator. UK-based. She/her. Mostly lurking. Likes/reposts not endorsements. Views own. Etc.
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Meanwhile, to her mother’s delight and bemusement, the child decided she’d rather do optional maths homework than watch a film on Friday evening… 🧮🥰
This article is focused at primary/secondary education and has some great tips about observation that are widely applicable. And so interesting to see the images of universal indicator scales adjusted for differences in colour perception. #ITeachChem #ChemEd
There is a danger that we assume students are good at observation. @dave2004b.bsky.social shares ideas to hone learners’ skills throughout their education to help them see, and explain, clearly
edu.rsc.org/cpd/developi...
#chemed #sciteachuk
Reposted by Deborah Gater
In reporting this piece on the new trial for a Huntington's treatment, I was struck by one thing in particular:

The joy.

One of my sources wept for joy. He has spent his entire career studying this disease, he said it was the happiest day. www.sciencenews.org/article/hunt...
Huntington's progression slowed by experimental gene therapy
An experimental gene therapy slowed Huntington’s by up to 75 percent in a small clinical trial. While not a cure, it may give patients longer lives.
www.sciencenews.org
Reposting to also tag #ITeachChem. Some nice activities here.
Happy Fall! 🍁 The ChemQuiz.net September 2025 newsletter is out and highlights new features on the site, including Topics to organize assignments on the Dashboard, an easy-to-read downloadable periodic table, a live webinar on September 30th, and more #chemed #iteachchem mailchi.mp/chemquiz.net...
Tried potato farls this evening - tasty but not sure I got the balance of flour:potato quite right. #ChemistsWhoCook
That’s super helpful - thank you!
Garlic-Parmesan sweetheart cabbage waiting to enter the oven. #ChemistsWhoCook
😂 I know. Believe me.
It’s still warm enough to open all the doors and windows 😅
Fresh sardines and cauliflower baking in the oven. This #ChemistWhoCooks operates a “hybrid” kitchen, so these will be served with toasted potato waffles from a packet… 😂😅😭
Reposted by Deborah Gater
Reposted by Deborah Gater
IT'S FINALLY TIME! BakeOff is BACK. You know what that means ChemBakeOff reaction/meme thread.
Reposted by Deborah Gater
How do you learn something new—flashcards, practice, trial and error? New research from psychology professor Aaron Seitz says it all comes down to incidental learning, when our brains slip into a state ready to absorb. 🧪

Read more: http://bit.ly/4mOgoBN

#COSConnects #Psychology
Is all learning ‘incidental’? Northeastern professor says that we ‘trick’ our brains into learning
Northeastern psychology professor Aaron Seitz reveals groundbreaking research showing all learning may be 'incidental'.
bit.ly
Reposted by Deborah Gater
I'd like to join @michaeloneill.org in windmill tilting and ask when we're all going to get serious about decarbonising undergrad chem labs...what does net negative look like for UG chem labs? How do we balance skills/learning with life cycle assessment and the privilege of handling pure substances?
Scuse me but 📌 so I can find and read the full article from work later…
Reposted by Deborah Gater
Get students talking 🗣️ before they start drawing curly arrows. Oracy helps them explain, question and solve mechanisms with confidence – and it’s easy to build into your teaching: edu.rsc.org/ideas/using-...

#chemsky
Using talk to help learners master organic mechanisms
Improve post-16 students' understanding through verbal communication
edu.rsc.org
My experience is that non-majors (e.g. engineers…) are often not obliged to take introductory chemistry labs even if the labs exist and students take the corresponding lecture material, and I now wonder if that attitude is linked/pervasive in STEM…?
Suddenly various conversations I’ve had with US-trained colleagues in the past decade become sparklingly clearer…
That’s encouraging ☺️ thank you!