Some Ideas for Teaching and Learning Chemistry by Analogy

Analogies are useful educational tools for the teaching and learning of chemistry, particularly as an aid to the understanding of difficult chemical concepts. Using analogies, students can bridge the gap between what they already know and new and potentially difficult topics within chemistry. Four distinct types of analogy are discussed in this paper and appropriate examples of each are given. Our categorisation of these learning analogies may give some insight into the strength and weaknesses of this approach to learning. However, careful consideration of the weaknesses can lead to improved analogies between chemistry and the wider world, and thereby restrict any limitations to a minimum.