Hosted by , contributed by Kyriaki_Vakkou on 13 December 2022
During the pandemic, when students were home schooled, access to labs and physical equipment was not possible. Many science teachers are familiar with online labs (e.g., the PhET Interactive Simulations) but usually, they use them to demonstrate a physics law or property. The main challenge was to support teachers in delivering inquiry-based lessons with the use of online labs while making sure that all students could actually follow and participate in the lesson.
Teachers from different schools were introduced and trained to use the Graasp online platform to implement Inquiry Learning Spaces (i.e. online lessons) concerning current societal challenges (e.g., climate change, water management), developed in the context of the inSTEAM project. Teachers also learned more about inquiry-based learning and the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines in order to adequately utilize the inSTEAM lesson units that incorporated aspects of both approaches, and also to address students’ individual needs through inclusive learning scenarios.
On the one hand, teachers really felt how important inquiry can be for students to really learn and develop their skills, as well as how the UDL guidelines can help them implement inclusive online lessons. On the other hand, having teachers and students using digital platforms was also a big step for all of them.