Science is still continuing in lockdown!
We are running lessons on Google Hangouts – we typically send work out via email before the lesson, then meet as a group to discuss the lesson, with a recap of previous work and Q&A about the topic of the day. I then stay on the line to support students. They either hang-up to work in their own and drop back in to ask any questions or some students need a little more support so they stay on all the time. We all meet up at the end to go through the work which they have all emailed to me. We have even managed to do some practical work remotely; in Physics for example we used rulers and string to learn about scalar and vector quantities, distance and displacement.
Chemistry Teacher, Dr Moody, describes how she is running her Chemistry lessons since lockdown started;
Chemistry lessons are running on Google Hangouts or Meets. The class get together at the start of the lesson for a question and answer session, before moving onto the new material for the day: discussing the new concepts and describing any diagrams which the students might not have access to at the moment. The students can then complete work they are sent independently. Some students stay on line, others log off, but whichever they choose they can ask questions if they are struggling with any concepts so they can complete the work that has been set. Once the work is sent students can recap on the areas that have been covered. Although practical activities have not been possible for chemistry the topics, where possible have been related to everyday activities, particularly cooking! Areas of learning include studying rates of reaction, the structure of the Earth and rocks so far...
Biology is running on Google Hangouts. Dr Sangster gives some examples of how her classes have been running remotely since lockdown:
We meet up as a class at the start of the lesson for a recap on previous learning, an overview of the day's new topic and to share ideas on what we already know about this topic. Once we have covered some of the core concepts, the students then complete work that has been emailed out to them. They are provided with YouTube links and appropriate text to refer back to, a variety of question styles to check and challenge their understanding and extension activities if they finish early! Where possible, activities that they can try at home are suggested to aid their learning (usually involving kitchen ingredients!). Some students like to stay on Hangouts while they complete their work, so they can check back at regular intervals. Other students prefer to complete their work independently. At the end of the session, everybody returns to the chat to discuss their findings and make necessary corrections. Work is then emailed to the teacher for checking and digital marking. Since lock down, students have been working on a range of different topics including Genetics, Enzymes and Digestion, Nervous System, Ecology and Gas Exchange.
