Symposium includes themes:
1. Developing new equipment and procedures for micro- and small-scale chemistry while maintaining the same level of rigour as traditional methods.
2. Developing protocols to correct students’ misconceptions that hinder their understanding of chemistry.
3. Developing dual coding and integrated instructions which reduce overloading of working memory and enable students to follow procedures efficiently.
4. Ensuring that students have the materials and equipment necessary to complete practical work despite the decrease in specialist space (laboratories) and increasing expense of chemicals and equipment.
5. Relating procedures to the recent experiences of students, their future employment, and addressing global concerns encapsulated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), particularly Goal 4: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
6. Providing a safe and secure environment for teachers, students, and other laboratory personnel.
7. Including MaSSTs in STEM projects.
8. Creating experiences and specialised equipment to make practical chemistry in schools highly inclusive, including for those with additional needs.
9. Employing contemporary presentation techniques with visualisers, mobile phones, and USB microscopes to ensure that groups of students can observe chemical activity on such a small scale.
10. Ensuring that exam boards, school administrators, university outreach teams, tutors, and textbook authors are informed about MaSSTs and their educational and environmental credentials.
