Journal Club Presentations
Highlights of the activity
- Throughout the course, students will find three peer-reviewed or invited articles on different topics involving periodic systems and submit a summary on each.
- Each student will select one of the articles and give a 5-minute presentation with 5 Powerpoint slides to the class on the subject.
Reasons to spend class time on the activity
When learning about a new topic, making close connections between the theoretical concepts and physical applications of a subject helps anchor new knowledge in the memory and creates excitement for studying a topic. Creating a journal club for an entire classroom gives students the chance to learn how the topics taught throughout the course can be used and also helps each student become more aware of current experimentation in the physics community. Having students present to the class at the end of the course also allows students to reflect on how much they have learned about periodic systems and catch a glimpse on more challenging topics in periodic systems as well.