Connecting Learning with Students' Interests and Daily Lives: "It is My Project."

To foster creative expression of students in a science course and to connect students' learning to their personal areas of interest, academic major programs, and daily lives, 'Periodic Table ' project is assigned in the General Chemistry Course.Students are to research a chemical element they select, to design concise representations for a collective display, and to present informative, creative projects using media of their own choice.In course portfolios and an end-of-semester survey, students indicated that these assignments become enjoyable course work and learning projects they are attached to in a personal way.This project is one of my teaching strategy tools to respect a variety of learning styles, to connect chemistry into our daily lives, and to engage students learning with their own talents and insights.