Unit 2: Practical scientific procedures and techniques
Title: Practical skills
Learning aim D: Review personal development of scientific skills for laboratory
work
How am I doing?
During the year I have learned and developed lots of skills and techniques in
practical experiments. Before the course, I never used a colorimeter machine
before. Many of my peers had also not used one before therefore it was a new
skill that we all developed.
I’ve been able to effectively reference my work and avoid plagiarism by using
appropriate software. I’ve also learned to evaluate scientific procedures in depth.
For example: peer reviews, conclusions, evaluations, improvements.
Previously, in secondary school, I did chromatography and titration experiments. I
was able to transfer skills into the practicals done for unit 2.
At the beginning of the course, I struggled with measuring accurate volumes of
solution. However, as the course went on, I was able to improve my skills which
enabled my results to become more accurate. I was also significantly better at
drawing tables and graphs than some of my peers which proved to be an
advantage as it is a crucial skill for this unit. This skill will be very useful in the
future for upcoming practical investigations and can be further developed.
Key skills gained from titration.
Titration:
During unit 2 assignment A (titration), there were many previous skills from
secondary school that I transferred, however there was a lot more skills that I had
to develop. For instance, I had not calibrated equipment before. This was a new
,and crucial skill that I learned, it is also a skill that will prove useful for future
practical investigations as well. Not many of my peers had done a titration
experiment before so I was more confident on building upon what I already knew
rather than learning it for the first time.
Another skill that I have learned is weighing products to the full gram. This skill
took a lot of patience which I also had to develop. I had to weigh sodium
carbonate powder using a balance. Since sodium carbonate was in powder form,
it was very difficult to weigh it to the exact gram. To tackle this, I was able to
develop the patience required to add the sodium carbonate in small amounts
using a spatula to get the desired mass. This type of skill is very helpful as it
guarantees accuracy in the results and is transferrable to future experiments.
One last skill that I improved on and expanded on was identifying hazards and
risks for the experiment. For instance, when using hazardous substances I had to
list all the control measures taken in order to prevent the hazard from occuring.
Moreover, I learned that the terms hazard, risk, and control measures all link to
identifying the safety precautions. I learned that hydrochloric acid is a corrosive
liquid that can irritate the skin and eyes, I had to learn how to avoid the risk by
wearing safety gloves and goggles. This skill I have developed will prove to be very
beneficial to me for future experiments as it is a key skill that can affect the
accuracy of an experiment.
How did I work to appropriate standards and protocols?
Titration:
I worked towards the standards and protocols by learning the purpose/function
of apparatus. When knowing how the apparatus works, you can achieve accurate
results safely. For instance, when I handled corrosive substances such as
hydrochloric acid, I had to know what hazards were present in order to protect
myself from harm. Hydrochloric acid can irritate the skin and eyes, I had to follow
several risk assessments to evaluate the possible hazards.
How did I apply safe working practices and behaviours?
Titration:
, In the titration experiment, I applied safe working practices to keep myself and
my peers safe. For instance, during the experiment, I accidently spilled the
hydrochloric acid onto the table. This was a serious hazard as it is a corrosive
substance that can irritate the skin and eyes. The hydrochloric acid could have
harmed a peer, I immediately cleaned up the solution to prevent the hazard. This
proved that I can follow the health and safety legislations and completed the
duties of employees at work.
Did I accept responsibility for my work? Did I own up to my mistakes?
Titration:
When doing the titration experiment, I believe that I took full responsibility for my
work. For instance, I was able to develop the ability to engage myself in learning
the methods. This further reading gave me knowledge of the titration practical
that I was able to apply in the experiment. A mistake that I made was pouring the
solution above the 25cm3 mark. I owned up this mistake and used a pipette to
take out some of the solution.
Did I take responsibility for completing tasks and procedures?
Titration:
I took responsibility for completing tasks and procedures on the set time given. I
did this thanks to being given the full method explained step by step which helped
us understand what to expect and the desired outcome of the practical. In the
titration practical, students worked in pairs therefore it was a shared
responsibility of knowing what to do in order to carry out the experiment.
It was vital that we each had to know our roles and know how much time we had
to carry out the experiment. Teamwork proved to be beneficial for the titration
practical and resulted in reliable results.
Was my communication and cooperation with others good?
Titration:
During the titration experiment, I worked with a peer. When looking back at my
communication and cooperation skills, I think that I did well working in pairs.
Moreover, when I needed help I was able to ask my peers and give both positive
