PEER-ENGAGEMENT FOR PRACTICALS IN ‘ BLENDED SCIENCE CLASSROOMS ’
BY : NOSHABA ANBREEN AND CLAIRE KHALIQ
As good practical work is at the core of science education , student experience of practical science application has been particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic .
Continuation of practical skills in remote settings has always presented a challenge to educators at all levels . Thankfully over two decades of research and development of learning and teaching in this area has provided ample resources to draw on when adapting practical science lessons for both the blended and online learning environments .
As we approach the end of an academic year during the pandemic , remote pedagogies have developed significantly , and educators across the world have demonstrated an unfaltering level of adaptability , rising to the challenge to engage whole classes of online learners . Much adjusted practical planning to focus on alternative skills , and some even carried out kitchen science demonstrations using household materials . Using practical work to support the learning of science theory and engage and motivate pupils has become increasingly important . Some educators used existing digital simulations , while others analysed experimental data . Whilst interaction with peers , lab equipment and availability of materials is made more difficult when teaching remotely , careful planning by teachers has enabled many pupils to remain engaged in some aspects of ‘ How Science Works ’ and continue to develop ‘ Science Capital ’. It is important to note , however , that simulations and simple analysis do not replace the lab bench and real experiments . One of the many purposes of science is to help pupils to learn new practical techniques through ‘ hands-on experiments .
As schools began to re-open , some pupils continued to isolate whilst others from the same class physically returned to school . This presented a novel situation which many educators may not have had previous experience of ; that of the ‘ blended classroom ’ with a combination of online and remote learners . Whilst some pupils remained at home , some of the desired outcomes from practical science have been difficult to achieve when teaching in such mixed-learner environments .
As well as the ongoing development of their subject knowledge , working on assignments and planning lessons , student teachers of 2020 / 2021 have also faced significant challenges adapting to this new type of pedagogy in a similar vein to their more experienced colleagues .
From their experiences in schools , these prospective teachers have noticed that even expert educators have found the integration of remote learners in a physical classroom quite a task , with practical lessons such as science either being abandoned completely or only involving those physically present . At times , the spread of teacher attention in such situations meant that the focus was removed from remote learners who became passive observers in practical science lessons , only engaging with the teacher at intervals . One of our PGCE pupils at the University of Birmingham Dubai , Claire Khaliq , has been able to plan and implement an innovative strategy of peer engagement to circumvent this challenge . Claire describes her approach below , which may also have applications for other subjects where there is a mixture of remote and physically present pupils .
Group Practical work during Blended learning
Under the school ’ s COVID-19 pandemic protocol , half of my Year 7 class were in school one week and the other half the next week , with the learners at home joining the ‘ live ’ lessons via Teams . None of our science lessons was timetabled in labs .
Since the group practical activities that would normally make up much of the unit ‘ Mixtures and Separation ’ were not possible this year , I set out to find alternatives .
Our science technicians were willing to bring some equipment to an outdoor classroom close to the science preparation room , so I decided to move my lessons there . This also gave pupils some fresh air and a change from the classroom where they spent most of their lessons . Since the picnic tables could seat two socially distanced pupils diagonally opposite each other , pupils could see each other during pair discussions , and the noise generated during discussions wearing face masks was less of a problem than it was indoors . The outdoor area also had good WIFI , which meant we could keep in touch with learners at home .
With the help of the technicians , I
42 Term 3 Apr - Jun 2021
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