In the morning of 11th October 2016 it was all excitement in senior one class at Dr. Lucille Corti Science College when Mr. Oyik Felix, the chemistry teacher entered the class, followed by two students holding glass science wares.
He started setting up the apparatus after writing on the chalk board “Experiment to prepare oxygen gas”. In their squeezed classroom students were scrambling to have a good look at the set up of the apparatus and chemicals for the lesson. Some climbed on their desks and others sat very close to the apparatus.
In his demonstration lesson Mr. Oyik introduced the lesson that the class was going to prepare oxygen. The students pointed correctly at the apparatus to be used as he enumerated them; conical flask, delivery tube, gas jar, trough and so on. He showed them the chemicals which would produce the oxygen gas, such as hydrogen peroxide and manganese dioxide.
Mr. Oyik mixed some chemicals together in the conical flask. The students observed what happened and said they saw bubbles in the gas jar. The chemistry teacher explained to the students that the bubbles indicate that oxygen gas has been produced from the chemicals and it is escaping into the gas jar. Mr. Oyik went on to demonstrate what he called the properties of oxygen. He pushed red and blue papers into the gas jar. The students told him they have not observed any changes onto the papers. He then pushed a glowing piece of wood into the gas jar. The students observed that it glowed brighter. Mr. Oyik explained that the level of oxygen had gone down otherwise the glowing wooden splint would have burst into flames. He explained that oxygen relights a glowing wooden splint because it supports combustion. The teacher went on to expand more information about oxygen.
The observation made was that the teacher was passionate about the lesson and the students were interested. The teacher did not stop students from climbing on the desks since he expected all the students to see what was happening in front of the class. At the end of it all the teacher was not questioned to find out if he achieved his objectives. The observer thinks so.
Observed by another chemistry teacher, Sr. Felicity Therese Drakuru of Dr. Lucille Corti Science College