Benjamin Franklin said it best with the quote, "Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn." Teachers know that kids learn best when they are actively engaged. Learning science concepts is no different than learning any other subject. Involve students with interactive science, and the results follow.
Interactive science lessons capture students' attention and make learning fun, encouraging curiosity and enthusiasm for the subject. These interactive lessons also deepen students’ understanding of concepts, allowing students to ask questions, make predictions, analyze data, and think critically about scientific principles as they interact with them in real time.
What is interactive science?
What is the meaning of interactive science? It’s exactly what you think. Teaching science concepts through observation, exploration, and involvement in classroom activities sums up interactive science. With students engaged while learning science, problem-solving and critical thinking skills are naturally part of the package.
Interactive classroom activities bring scientific concepts to life. Students explore science through authentic experiences. Interactive science allows students to act as scientists with investigations that don’t simply show them the answers. They help students discover them through active participation.
Why interactive science is vital for student engagement
There’s a lot of buzz about STEM education, which combines curiosity with innovation and collaboration. Children involved in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) build student confidence and foster interest in STEM learning and even future career paths. Interactive science activities are centered on critical thinking and problem-solving skills that motivate kids to learn more about STEM.
When students are tasked with solving real-world issues, science comes to life for them. “Involve me, and I learn,” remember? Interaction is the key to student engagement.
What are the benefits of interactive science in the classroom? Interactive science makes learning more engaging, memorable, and effective. Hands-on experiments, simulations, and interactive discussions capture students' interest and keep them actively involved in learning.
Interactive classroom activities for science success
There are countless ways to bring interactive science to your students. Start with the 5E Model. The 5E Model asks students to engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate as they investigate the foundations and principles of science, which seamlessly integrates interactive science. The 5E Model is an effective instructional model for the youngest students to high schoolers.
When students are engaged, they are ready and excited to expand their thinking. They begin to apply knowledge and skills learned through interactive classroom activities. Along with science learning, interactive design fosters active participation, communication, and social skills.
Hands-on experiments are another great way to infuse interactive learning into any classroom. Experiments activate students’ senses and put them in the center of learning. When students participate in hands-on science and real-world experiences, they grasp and retain concepts far more effectively than they would through passive learning, like reading or listening to a story.
What are some interactive activities for science concepts?
- Interactive science notebooks
- Engaging experiments
- Science games and interactive lessons for kids
- Artistic representations of science concepts
- Interactive museums
- Virtual field trips, such as a visit to a recycling center and landfill
- Science websites for kids
- Role-playing games
- Science fair projects and presentations
How education technology supports interactive science and conceptual understanding
Bringing technology into science lessons provides students with interactive learning experiences that capture their attention and make learning fun. Technology also gives students a chance to experiment with scientific concepts in a virtual environment that may not be possible in real life. For example, with edtech, students can suddenly go inside a cell, repeat a dissection multiple times, or see the water cycle in a short amount of time.
Gamified learning and instruction
Digital tools can boost overall fun and excitement about science. Science concepts can come alive with movement, music, or art. ExploreLearning Science4Us combines science with literacy and math-integrated experiences through games, songs, stories, and more.
Individualized and flexible learning
Technology helps students explore science concepts, revisit lessons, and conduct virtual labs at their own pace, leading to comprehension and practice at their unique levels of understanding.
Edtech also provides flexible learning options for teachers. No two days in the classroom are the same, and sometimes science time (especially in elementary school) involves shortened time blocks. Science4Us gives teachers the flexibility to engage students and introduce new science concepts in various ways.
The 28 content-rich modules in Science4Us include thousands of online and offline activities that can be completed in as little as ten minutes. These interactive science activities are perfect for centers, small groups, or whole-group instruction. Teachers can incorporate quick bursts of Science4Us at the beginning of the day, before or after lunch, during indoor recess, or even right before dismissal!
Standards-aligned activities
Interactive activities can easily align with curriculum and learning objectives, ensuring students practice necessary skills while getting hands-on with science and engineering practices. Look to your standards and pinpoint specific skills that would come to life through interactive activities.
Support inquiry-based learning and scientific sensemaking
Integrating technology into science lessons also helps boost inquiry-based learning. Nearly all new science standards focus on experiences that let students actively integrate the practices of doing science with the core ideas of science. When students can act like scientists with engaging, authentic, and relevant learning opportunities, they engage in scientific sensemaking.
The youngest elementary students can engage in inquiry as they play, experiment, observe, test, and experiment. Interactive technology helps older students engage in three-dimensional learning while preparing for computer-based assessments.
Build critical science skills in your classroom with ExploreLearning
Technology is an easy way to incorporate interactive science activities into the curriculum. Edtech resources, like ExploreLearning Gizmos and Science4Us, deliver interactive science lessons to any science program for whole group, small group, or 1:1 lessons. For kindergarteners to students in AP science classes, ExploreLearning has a way of delivering interactive science lessons with research to support the powerful impact.
For grade 3-12 classrooms, Gizmos virtual simulations and labs help students make connections and draw conclusions through interactive science for “what-if” experimentation and discovery. Every Gizmo has extensive teaching resources that help make planning and teaching easy. Because Gizmos are flexible and customizable, all learners feel supported and successful. STEM Cases take interactive learning a step further by putting students in the role of STEM professionals tasked with solving real-world problems.
What about the youngest science students? Science4Us helps K-2 students develop foundational STEM knowledge in developmentally appropriate and engaging ways. Science4Us has thousands of online and offline activities students can complete in as little as ten minutes. The interactive science lessons use videos, interactive science games, poems, songs, and digital notebooks while incorporating literacy skills.
A balance of screen time is important. The best interactive science tools for elementary students combine technology with offline extension activities to give students well-rounded learning experiences.
Gizmos and Science4Us bring these effective interactive science activities to the classroom. What are you waiting for? Start your trial today!
