Setting up a similar project with your students
Secondary-school students have a different perspective
from teachers and educators, which can be very helpful
when dealing with small children, as they can be
easily accepted as ‘big brothers or sisters’. The secondary-
school students involved in our project benefited a
great deal from the experience: they learned to give
presentations, became more self-confident and
improved their organisational skills – all without the
pressure of a standard classroom situation.
Additionally, they got a first-hand insight into the work
of teachers, educators, scientists and engineers.
A team should consist of 4-5 secondary-school students
and a supervising teacher. In an initial brainstorming
session, let the students come up with their own ideas;
this will motivate them to be very creative. They may
find it helpful to consult books and websites of teaching
activities. By letting each student work on a separate
topic, students of different abilities can be
involved. The teacher should moderate the meetings,
provide the experimental materials and help to set up
the experiments.
To inspire fun and curiosity, experiments should be
easy to set up and, ideally, should involve several senses
at once. When the younger children are able to
experiment by themselves, they often express and test
their own ideas.
It is important to contact potential project partners
(kindergartens or primary schools) early on in the project.
Whereas kindergartens tend to be open to many
scientific subjects, the experiments for primary schools
may need to fit the curriculum topics taught in science
or nature lessons, if the subject exists.
Ask the secondary-school students to present their projects
to each other, to get suggestions for improvements
from the whole team. Remember to test the experiments
with children of the target age beforehand, to
estimate the required time. Up to seven younger children
is a good group size. In our experience, each
activity takes about 25-60 minutes, although we did
not set a time limit.
The activities might take more time than expected,
since children sometimes ask to repeat a section they
particularly enjoyed. Keep in mind that young children
enjoy being able to take small experiments home, or
taking part in a small competition in which they can
win prizes such as a jelly baby in an inflated balloon.
Especially when experimenting themselves, primaryschool
children had no trouble concentrating for up to
two hours without a break. Before reorganising groups
or starting a new experiment, hand out treats or drinks
to mark the break.
And don’t forget, if this is a new experience for everyone
involved, there may be reservations on both sides
(the kindergarten or primary school, and the secondary-
school team). However, if you discuss potential
issues during the preparatory phase, this should be easily
overcome.
Setting up a similar project with your students
Secondary-school students have a different perspective
from teachers and educators, which can be very helpful
when dealing with small children, as they can be
easily accepted as ‘big brothers or sisters’. The secondary-
school students involved in our project benefited a
great deal from the experience: they learned to give
presentations, became more self-confident and
improved their organisational skills – all without the
pressure of a standard classroom situation.
Additionally, they got a first-hand insight into the work
of teachers, educators, scientists and engineers.
A team should consist of 4-5 secondary-school students
and a supervising teacher. In an initial brainstorming
session, let the students come up with their own ideas;
this will motivate them to be very creative. They may
find it helpful to consult books and websites of teaching
activities. By letting each student work on a separate
topic, students of different abilities can be
involved. The teacher should moderate the meetings,
provide the experimental materials and help to set up
the experiments.
To inspire fun and curiosity, experiments should be
easy to set up and, ideally, should involve several senses
at once. When the younger children are able to
experiment by themselves, they often express and test
their own ideas.
It is important to contact potential project partners
(kindergartens or primary schools) early on in the project.
Whereas kindergartens tend to be open to many
scientific subjects, the experiments for primary schools
may need to fit the curriculum topics taught in science
or nature lessons, if the subject exists.
Ask the secondary-school students to present their projects
to each other, to get suggestions for improvements
from the whole team. Remember to test the experiments
with children of the target age beforehand, to
estimate the required time. Up to seven younger children
is a good group size. In our experience, each
activity takes about 25-60 minutes, although we did
not set a time limit.
The activities might take more time than expected,
since children sometimes ask to repeat a section they
particularly enjoyed. Keep in mind that young children
enjoy being able to take small experiments home, or
taking part in a small competition in which they can
win prizes such as a jelly baby in an inflated balloon.
Especially when experimenting themselves, primaryschool
children had no trouble concentrating for up to
two hours without a break. Before reorganising groups
or starting a new experiment, hand out treats or drinks
to mark the break.
And don’t forget, if this is a new experience for everyone
involved, there may be reservations on both sides
(the kindergarten or primary school, and the secondary-
school team). However, if you discuss potential
issues during the preparatory phase, this should be easily
overcome.
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