What makes the CCC stand out is our simulations. The simulation technology is built using modern web standards to deliver rich visualizations right to your computer’s browser. These simulations deploy age-appropriate scientific models of particle behavior to give students a glimpse into the realm of molecules and ions. What’s more, real-time physics calculations ensure that the particle behavior is accurately attuned to accepted quantitative models of various phenomena.
The CCC is a comprehensive curriculum that pairs traditional classroom discussion and drawing activities with high-fidelity simulations of chemical systems. The CCC covers the entire conceptual breadth of general chemistry from matter and solutions, to reactions, and even nuclear chemistry!
The CCC relies on a dedicated network of instructors, teachers, & researchers that develop and implement CCC. Tailoring this complex set of curriculum resources and visualizations to create the best possible learning experience for high school and college chemistry students requires constant iterative development.
Simulations of chemical systems drive the Connected Chemistry Curriculum.
Our simulations cover the conceptual breadth of an introductory chemistry course and can readily be used at both the high school and college level. Reactions are selected to show varying complexity and to highlight conceptually important processes across the companion curriculum.
The first iteration of the CCC simulations was written in Java for desktop computers. These legacy simulations are still available for download.
The new set of simulations uses modern web standards to deliver high-fidelity particle simulations to your students’ browsers.
CCC is a complete philosophy on how students should learn chemistry.
Rather than emphasizing rote memorization and formulaic calculation, CCC hones its focus on fostering conceptual understanding. Learning chemistry requires understanding the processes that occur at the level of the submicroscopic. Atoms, ions, and molecules make up a rich unseen world of complexity that gives rise to things we experience everyday: water boiling on the stovetop, sugar dissolving in a hot drink.
Every activity in the CCC combines:
This is designed to fostering students’ ability to connect multiple pictorial and quantitative representations of chemical phenomena.
Teachers are involved at all stages of the development, iteration, and deployment of the CCC. We regularly integrate feedback from instructors about what works for their students and what could be improved to make the underlying learning easier for students.
Professional development is included as part of the CCC deployment, where instructors attend meetings throughout the school year to talk through issues of lesson planning and strategies for fostering student discourse that highlights the macroscopic, submicroscopic, and symbolic levels.
Our team is comprised of former public school teachers as well as education researchers familiar with the scientific literature on how people learn.
© 2021 The Connected Chemistry Curriculum.
