How to Use uHandy Microscope in the Science Classroom

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What is uHandy?

I have explained extensively what uHandy microscope is and why I have it as part of my remote teaching and learning toolkit here.

uHandy in the Science Classroom

What do you think of when I say the word microscopes? I know my students, without a doubt, would start giving me biology terms or experiments related to biology. While microscopes are traditionally associated with biology in a high school setting, what students fail to understand is that microscopes are simply an instrument that allows scientists to view things that are too small to be observed by the naked eye. While visible light microscopes offer a wider range of magnifications for observations, X-ray and electron microscopes provide an even more in-depth view. Without having a solid understanding of how light and lenses work in a microscope, students won’t be able to apply these fundamentals to interpreting images from X-ray or electron microscopes.

Source: WikiCommons

Whenever I taught microscopes, I always remember that students were able to memorize and repeat terms/functions of the microscopes we typically used in class (see image below)

However,  when I asked them to demonstrate their skills by  viewing a specimen under the microscope, many struggled. I believe this struggle comes in two-folds: 

1. Students often have to share microscopes in a classroom. I have learned from this year from remote teaching and learning that students strongly benefit from conducting experiments by themselves so that they have the space and freedom to inquire and explore the experiment or instrument. When a piece of equipment is shared, some students aren’t able to gain a strong understanding because there is not enough time for them to explore, or because the equipment is not shared equally between students.

2. There are many parts to a microscope. This is  one of the first major complex instruments that many students encounter so it can be an overwhelming experience. 

uHandy microscope alleviates these struggles by allowing the teacher to scaffold teaching concepts related to the microscope. This is my progression of how I would teach it in my classroom with a normal microscope:

1. Introduction to animal & plant cells

2. Microscopy: How to use a microscope

3. How to draw cells observed from the microscope

With uHandy microscope, this is how the progression changes:

1. Introduction to animal & plant cells

2. Introduction to microscopy: how do light & lens work to magnify an image in a microscope

3. Practice observing animal and plant cells using uHandy’s low-mag and high-mag lens

4. Draw animal and plant cells using uHandy low-mag and high-mag lens

5. Identifying parts of a microscope (building upon light & lens from Lesson #2)

6. Practice using a microscope 

7. Draw animal and plant cells using microscope

uHandy allows teaching concepts to be focused so that students know exactly what they need to know to become successful. The lesson sequence also builds upon each other, so students are able to repeat similar skills in future lessons (i.e. drawing animal and plant cells, using microscopes, understanding how lens and light work)

MicroLab

While it’s important for the teacher to model to the class how to use this microscope, uHandy offers a Classroom Kit that comes with 10 sets of lenses and group activities. These lenses allow students to convert their phones or tablets into an instrument that they can use  to record, and take photos of their specimens.

uHandy microscope allows you to easily convert your tablet or phone into a laboratory instrument.

I’ve spoken extensively about how microscale experiments allow quick and easy understanding of experiments due to the minimal requirement of reactants and equipment. Here is a list of microscale experiments that you can conduct, in addition to using microscopes to observe animal and plant cells.

• Understanding equilibria

• Displacement reactions of metals

• Observation of structures in different solids (ionic, molecular)

• Cleaning up an oil spill and analyzing the effectiveness of particular cleaning treatments

All of these can be easily done with the two different sized petri dishes that uHandy provides in their kit. You can overlay the dishes over top of the lens to observe the reactions.

If you’re interested in finding out more and how you can conduct these experiments, subscribe to my newsletter to receive a free teacher and student handout for one of the labs in the previous list.

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