Targeted to Intermediate English (B1+) speakers.Read more
This is the standard requirement for most courses. Participants at this level can participate actively in discussions and manage everyday and professional situations. If they are unsure about their English level, they can test it here or explore our courses facilitated in Basic English.
Science Teachers.Read more
The listed audiences are those for whom the course is especially recommended, but courses are not exclusive to them and are open to everyone. In fact, most of our workshops are built around the collective sharing of participants’ experiences and having a variety of profiles enriches the learning process and is highly encouraged!
Description
Science classes can quickly turn dry, theoretical, distant from nature, experimentation, and everyday life.
This course was created for teachers in primary and secondary schools keen to provide their students with real-life opportunities that can bring scientific theories to life through practical approaches.
Participants will be learning about a wide range of approaches to engage students and make their learning relevant to their lives.
The course will focus on using the natural environment, practical experiments, and interactive experiences to teach scientific concepts.
Furthermore, the course includes excursions and field experiments. Participants will explore the natural wonders of Tenerife: excursions to a volcanic landscape (Malpaís de Güímar) and a cloud forest (Anaga); tours of the Astrophysics Institute and visits to science museums.
Participants will gain real-life experience and practical ways to bring the elements of the course further to their own curriculum and teaching situation, from excursions, practical field experiments, to classroom activities.
Participants will have a variety of straightforward, hands-on experiments that can be duplicated in any classroom. They will investigate a variety of sciences, for example, environmental studies, geology, waste management, astronomy, basic physics, basic chemistry, biology, etc., and show, for example, that these sciences can be taught as interrelated sciences using simple hands-on experiences.
The interactive workshop sessions will provide participants with opportunities to build on and share ideas to make their own science lessons more active.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to design and teach practical science lessons from whatever curriculum their school adopts.
Participants will take away a toolkit of strategies and activities that can bring learning to life inside and outside the classroom, developing students’ deeper learning and appreciation of science.
What is included
Learning outcomes
The course will help participants to:
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of experiential learning techniques applicable to all scientific disciplines;
- Explore the interconnectedness of various scientific fields and their relevance to real-world phenomena;
- Develop practical and engaging experiments that can be adapted to different classroom settings;
- Learn strategies to incorporate environmental studies, geology, astronomy, physics, chemistry, and biology into cohesive, hands-on lessons;
- Create science lessons that motivate and inspire students through real-life applications and interactive methodologies;
- Enhance the abilities necessary to plan and execute science activities that promote curiosity and deeper understanding among students.
Tentative schedule
Day 1 – Introduction to the course
- Welcome and course introduction;
- Icebreaker activities;
- Overview of diverse experiential teaching methods;
- Overview of Tenerife’s volcanic history and landscape;
- Setting personal goals for the week.
Day 2 – Use your outside
- Excursion to a volcanic landscape (Malpaís de Güímar);
- Learn about the geology, flora, and fauna of volcanic landscapes;
- Group discussion and reflection.
Day 3 – Use the experts around you
- Tour of the Canarian Astrophysics Institute (IAC) and exploration of the Tenerife Science Museum;
- What resources could you use in your town? (Museums, websites, associations);
- Explore the connections between different scientific fields;
- Presentation of personal reflections.
Day 4 – Science through the ages
- Visit an ancient cloud forest (Anaga). Explore biodiversity and ecosystems;
- Activities on the adaptation of plants and animals to volcanic habitats;
- Explore a 19th-century physics laboratory and taxidermy collection (Cabrera Pinto Institute)
- Practical workshop: Designing nature-based experiments for the classroom.
Day 5 – Use engagement
- Using interactive activities to revise course content and learning methods;
- What simple demonstrations and experiments engage learners best?;
- Social media strategies for engaging students in science;
- How to plan and manage a group project in the classroom;
- Group projects: present your project to the class.
Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities
- Course evaluation and feedback;
- Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
- Excursion to Teide and other external cultural activities.
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