At LabXchange, part of our mission is to inspire the next generation of scientists. This means giving learners the opportunity to develop agency and independence when it comes to their science education. We recently heard about the success of a group of learners in Italy. They worked together in virtual classrooms to create their own projects about COVID-19 using the LabXchange platform.
The COVID-19 pandemic means that schools around the world have been forced to close their doors temporarily. This has required even more resourcefulness from educators as they turn to distance learning, navigating new digital tools during a daunting time. And for learners, it can be even harder to stay focused and motivated. This is because they’re away from their peers and their familiar classroom structure. On the other hand, learners are spending less time on their usual after-school activities. So this means more time can be spent exploring new passions.
Silvia Maria Lippo’s science students in Naples, Italy, used the LabXchange platform to take the wheel with their science education, and innovate. In similar fashion, a goal for every teacher is to encourage independent critical thinking in their students. But how does one do this when not sharing a physical classroom with them? Part of the solution is to provide a supportive online space where students can expand their thinking and explore.
Lippo found herself in that position. Physically separated from her students during the pandemic, she needed to overcome the obstacles and ignite curiosity in their young minds. She invited all her students, around 150 of them, to join virtual classrooms on the LabXchange platform and arrange themselves into groups.
The learners, aged between 15 and 18, took on the challenge and thrived. Working remotely, they followed the LabXchange COVID-19 pathway to teach themselves and create presentations. The pathway contains curated videos, texts, and images that teach specific learning objectives. With the LabXchange resources as their only source, they produced interactive presentations, videos, and posters. Not only have they enriched themselves with knowledge but they’re now also able to share their new insights with their peers. Our hope is that they’ll be able to set off a chain reaction of learning and innovation.
This is only one example of how students and educators have collaborated with LabXchange to achieve excellence in their science education.
Anna Pascucci, director of Amgen Biotech Engage (ABE) in Italy, remains enthusiastic about the potential of LabXchange. “I do hope to increase students' confidence and curiosity in exploring the universe of resources it offers, to navigate among them independently,” she says.
We are inspired by these students, and are thrilled to collaborate with more educators and students across the world to ignite a passion for science!
Here are a few examples of the students’ work:
If you’re an educator ready to get involved in bringing LabXchange to your class, get in touch with us.
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