Time away from the classroom is a gift to your students and you alike, but there’s no sugarcoating the reality of returning to school after a break or extended time off. Routines and procedures need reteaching, student energy levels rise and fall, and content you previously taught suddenly seems to have vanished from students’ minds (don’t worry, they’ll remember it in a few days).
You know better than anyone else that while a fresh calendar brings new beginnings, it also requires extra planning to set students up for success in the coming weeks and months.
Inspiring students after break with virtual labs
When it comes to science, virtual labs can help students ease back into academic routines while fostering curiosity and confidence. Science simulations are great activities to engage students at any point in the school year, but their low-prep nature and interactive features make them especially useful during transition periods after a break or holiday.
Some benefits of virtual labs:
- Engaging for students
- Easy to implement
- No mess (or cleanup!)
- Safe for students to use after time away
- Review old content or introduce new material
- Save time, energy, and lab resources
- Accessible from anywhere
Virtual labs like ExploreLearning Gizmos allow students to investigate, explore, and interact with real-life concepts while reviewing or learning new concepts. With 550+ simulations, Gizmos can help your students practice lab procedures, revisit challenging concepts, or gradually learn new skills included in upcoming units of study or in-person labs.
Powerful strategies to drive science engagement
How do virtual labs promote learning and student engagement after extended time away from school?
Support inquiry-based learning
Students are naturally more engaged when their minds are active. Skip the busy work and give students virtual lab activities that capture their attention and make learning fun.
With Gizmos simulations, students stay highly engaged as they model phenomena, take on the role of STEM professionals, or dive into science and math concepts through inquiry-based activities. Gizmos use a learning approach validated by extensive research as a highly effective way to build conceptual understanding in math and science.
Increase student confidence
Simulations provide a low-stakes way for students to transition back into classroom work without the immediate pressure of assessments or high-stakes tasks. Virtual labs allow students to review concepts, vocabulary, or skills in interactive ways at their own pace. They also help students visualize abstract concepts and unpack tough STEM subjects, making it easier to re-engage with the curriculum after weeks of vacation.
Labs like Gizmos allow students to experiment without fear of making mistakes, increasing confidence in their skills. Built-in feedback tools help you and your students understand mistakes to solidify content going forward.
Each Gizmos also includes pre-made offline resources to help students reconnect and collaborate socially through group discussions.
Launch new explorations
Assign virtual labs as introductory lessons to ensure students develop the skills required for upcoming lessons. Digital labs allow students to practice the scientific method, analyze data, form hypotheses, and think critically to prepare for future units or in-person lab experiments.
You can also infuse virtual labs during a more extensive project or unit of study to reinforce concepts, activate background knowledge, and accelerate learning.
Prepare students for laboratory work
Virtual science simulations are helpful tools to prepare students for in-person lab experiments. Before students put on their lab coats and goggles, use a virtual lab to help them practice skills such as graphing, measuring, using a microscope, and working with equipment like triple beam balances, graduated cylinders, and more.
Online labs also increase student confidence during physical lab work. For example, after practicing measuring the volume of liquids in a virtual lab, students will have a much better understanding of what to do when measuring hazardous chemicals during an in-person chemistry experiment.
Connect classroom learning to real-world experiences
Engage students and build excitement for the future by exposing them to a wide variety of STEM careers. Host a virtual career day to encourage STEM career exploration and make learning relevant to students’ interests.
With Gizmos STEM Cases, your students can step into the roles of STEM professionals to investigate real-life problems…all from their laptop or tablet. From helping restore the ecosystem of a national park to investigating crime scenes, STEM Cases allow students to analyze and interpret data, test hypotheses, and communicate their findings while learning about different career paths.
Virtual labs: A safe start to science in the new year
Another significant benefit of virtual labs is that students can use them immediately after a break. Your class can digitally work with chemicals, burners, scales, and other various pieces of lab equipment to practice critical laboratory skills without the risk of accidents, mess, or injury.
Virtual simulations can also save time and money while allowing for repeated simulations that are not always possible during an in-person lab.
Drive student engagement with Gizmos
Are you ready for engaged, purposeful learning when you come back to the classroom? Experience Gizmos virtual simulations in your classroom with a free trial to review concepts and practice new skills from day one.
