Science practical nightmare class

[Lolabun1]

I have a top set science group, 30 pupils, 10 of which are so disruptive. They should carry out required practicals and use bunsen burners.

I don't trust these students to work safely, but don't want the others to miss out. How can I fairly let the sensible students take part. The class is smallish so finding space is difficult to use one side of the room. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Is it making salts?

If so

• preheat the acid in a water bath - this was always the step I dreaded the most
• weed out any students who cannot behave while the students carry out the neutralisation/ filtration process
• Bunsens only need to be on for the minimum of time during the crystallisation process. Be near the emergency switch and use that if any students refuse to switch off their Bunsens after the initial salt rim

All other RPs can be done without the need for Bunsen burners.

If you don't feel they can work safely, then to be honest, I would probably do it as a demo.

You could still do analysis of results, lots of questioning about the procedure etc.

I would give them all a chance but have pre- prepared work for the disruptive ones. The minute they put a foot wrong, remove them to another science class with work.

Thank you for all your advice, it's not a required practical but it was distillation of ink water. I'll definitely prepare extra work and remove the pupils, also do bunsen work as a demo for now.

That practical can be fidgety at the best of times if you're doing it with delivery tubes - colleagues have done it as class practicals with reliable pupils and always had several breakages. And I wouldn't trust a GCSE class of that size with Liebig condensers, so it's always been done as a demo in my room.

Thank you, it's great to hear your ways of managing practicals, hopefully as the year continues the behaviour improves and will definitely start with small- scale class practicals with demos for larger ones.

If you have that many disruptive pupils in your class can you not ask for TA support or ask for the department technician’s to be in the class whilst you carry out the practicals?
We had an incident with bunsen burners in my old school a few years back - some student decided to set fire to their exercise book causing some damage.. . Not only was that student permanently excluded, practicals involving bunsen burners were restricted to just teacher demos and the school actually had the gas taps in the labs isolated apart from the one on the teacher’s desk!!