institutional: Girls' participation
News . Events In the steps of a lynx
Care: The students studied a real problem concerning the reintroduction of the lynx that has disappeared from the Greek area. The students who participated in the activities were 12, aged 17, from the 3rd grade of EPAL.
Know: Students used knowledge of food chains and food webs. Students practiced being able to describe the effects of ecological restoration on an ecosystem. They also learned to weigh evidence to support or refute a claim.
Do: At the end, the students, with the help of the teacher, prepared a map using the ArcGIS program showing the lynx population by country, as well as the project poster. They completed the activities as a group, supported by their families.
Conclusions on Open Schooling: The activity was integrated into the curriculum. It was innovative because the general knowledge they had about food chains was applied to a real problem. Open schooling can be useful for other teachers because it helps students learn experientially and develop metacognitive skills..
The change/innovation was supported by:
[ x ] School management [] school association/network [] Local government [ x ] Other: Regional Directorate of Education, Natural Hostory Museum
Student results: The students were happy with the app as they were able to apply their knowledge to solve a real problem. As an example, one student mentioned “it’s nice to learn in a different way what we do in class”.
This practice contributed to the increase of:
[ x ] engaging families with sciences [ x ] involving girls in science [ x ] raising awareness among students about careers in the natural sciences
Please specify: Student participation was universal regardless of gender, performance, presence or absence of learning disabilities.
News . Events A journey into evolution with the help of elephants’ tusks
Care: The students were interested in a real problem, which is how elephants lose their tusks and cannot attack or defend themselves in the environment they live in. This problem was said among others and the students voted it as the most interesting for further study and research. Twenty-two students participated in the activities. The students were 13-14 years old and attend 2nd grade of High School.
Know: The students used knowledge of Biology and in particular topics of natural selection and evolution. The skills students practiced were collaboration and communication, critical thinking, question processing, discussion, digital literacy, creativity and reasoning.
Do: At the end, the students prepared a game, presentations, interviews, interactive map, experiments and a storymap. They completed the activities as a group or individually, supported by their families. Conclusions on Open Schooling: The activity was integrated into the curriculum. The activity was innovative because for the first time the students were asked what problems they had heard or experienced and really wanted to deal with. For this reason, the students discussed in plenary after they had also discussed with their families and voted for what they considered the most interesting topic. Open schooling can be useful but also challenging for teachers and teachers because they are usually involved in problems outside the standard curriculum such as climate change etc.
The change/innovation was supported by:
[ x ] School management [ x ] school association/network [] Local government [ ] Other: ________________________________
Student results: The students were participative, interested from the beginning to the end of the project. They got in touch with their parents and relatives to ask them questions and get interviews. They worked as a team and through communication they achieved tangible results. They played a game that they created themselves and that was related to the topic of the project. They made presentations on various related topics. A group of students presented the work of all the students at a student conference organized by the Regional Directorate of Crete.
This practice contributed to the increase of:
[ x ] engaging families with sciences [] involving girls in science [ x ] raising awareness among students about careers in the natural sciences
Please specify: A seemingly “innocent” and “irrelevant” observation a student had about a population of elephants raised many questions for the students to investigate and discuss with the appropriate scientists. The families were interviewed at the beginning of the project but also during it in order to give their own opinions and some due to profession were interviewed through an interview by the students themselves. Students became aware of the environment and climate change.
News . Events Landscape and Renewable Energy Sources (RES)
Care: The students dealt with the issue of the integration of RES in the landscape, a real problem that occupied the students of Tinos in view of the massive installation of wind turbines in the landscape of Tinos. The students who participated in the activities were twenty-eight (28), 14-year-old students of the 2nd Class of the High School.
Know: The students used knowledge about the role and importance of RES considering their rational integration in landscapes and ecosystems, considering their functions and value.
The skills the students practiced were:
- question processing,
- data analysis,
- discussion of claims and evidence,
- drawing or drawing conclusions,
- familiarity with the ways and stages of conducting a research,
- familiarity with techniques for searching, evaluating and presenting information through a variety of sources,
- development of collaboration, creative expression and presentation skills.
Do: At the end, students put their knowledge into practice by doing field research. A 2-day Educational Visit was made to the landscape of the paths of Andros (in collaboration with KPE Korthiou). The program of the visit included group work in and outside the field, namely: Practical-Experiential Part: hiking, information, observation, photography, exploration and activities, landscape experience with all the senses.
In detail, the practical-experiential part contained:
- Observation and recording of field characteristics
- Familiarity with the space through all the senses
- Perception of space through various games
- Identification of species of flora (mainly) and fauna
- Map reading
- Completing worksheets
- Presentation of the habitats of Andros and the most important historical stations
- Discussion about the needs of the people who created the landscape of Andros.
Creative Part: recording of valuable elements and problems of the landscape and ecosystem, discussion related to threats and proposals for better management. The result was a group presentation of the results of all work groups through a powerpoint work, which was presented by student representatives at an event organized by the High School of Tinos at the Spiritual Center of the Holy Foundation of Evangelistria on Thursday 25 May 2022 at 19.00, in which they took part and their parents/guardians. The presentation emerged from the discussions with the scientists in the context of the “learn” section and from the practical-experiential part of the training which included filling in worksheets (of the KPE), individual notes and group discussions.
The parents/guardians of the students who participated in the CONNECT program were informed about its content both in person (those who visited the school) and electronically with frequent messages describing the activities. This ensured as active an involvement as possible them in the whole project (a fact that helped to cultivate the scientific capital). The results of their program were presented extensively at a live event organized by the school.
Conclusions on Open Schooling: The action was not embedded in the curriculum, but indirectly related to it. It was useful and innovative as it related to the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes (as discussed below). Open schooling can also be useful for other teachers because it can combine knowledge and apply it in the field (eg identifying and valuing natural and cultural wealth of an area)..
The change/innovation was supported by:
[ x ] School management [ ] school association/network [ ] Local government [ ] Other: ________________________________
Student results: The students showed interest in the thematic subjects of the program, submitted questions and participated in discussions. They took into account what the scientists conveyed to them and a relationship of trust was cultivated. This was reflected in the results of the action. Notably, there were also examples of relatively weak students showing great interest in the collaborative method and field research and taking initiatives. They responded with particular enthusiasm to the educational visit (outside the island), which was an important motivation for their activation at all levels of thinking and action.
This practice contributed to the increase of:
[ ] engaging families with sciences [ x ] involving girls in science [ x ] raising awareness among students about careers in the natural sciences
Please specify: Parents participated in the collection of questionnaires for the student survey. The girls actively participated in the mapping and literature review and in general all students showed a special interest in digital maps and the contribution of geomorphological terrain to road construction.
News . Events Aerosol… hooked on! How do you control a ‘missing crown’?
- Care: In this phase, students’ curiosity and need to upgrade their knowledge level are stimulated, pre-existing ideas are explored and prior knowledge is activated. Interest and participation is fostered through real work based on a community problem, in this case the control of COVID-19 and ways to build a sensitive sensor device. The concerns and needs related to the problem are identified and the challenges to be investigated and the affected social actors to be involved are prioritized. To engage students by inviting them to participate in a participatory research project to develop strategies for the prevention and control of Covid-19 (and other similar infectious diseases) and also to consider how it is possible to build the study device themselves. They begin by first exploring their concerns and needs with their families and then prioritizing the challenges that need to be explored. The scenario is formed based on the need for more direct communication in the classrooms without losing the sense of security. The students who took part in the activities were 15-17 year olds who were studying at the Lyceum. A total of 35 students participated in the whole process.
- Know: This phase facilitates the acquisition of knowledge and the development of the scientific skills and attitudes required to address the issues under consideration. Students used knowledge of physics, chemistry and programming. The skills the students practiced were:
- To understand how to deal with a topic-challenge that they find interesting.
- To acquire research skills
- To understand that often in a given target problem there is a conflict of interests and to realize the existence of different approaches.
- Formulate proposals-recommendations to the citizens and agencies involved
- Well-informed discussion, communication, writing, interpretation, drawing and presenting conclusions based on knowledge
- Collaboration
- Do: In this phase, students applied the knowledge and skills acquired to develop the final product assigned to them. In this case, the final product was titled “Development of a sensitive CO2 sensor for the control and protection against viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 in closed spaces”. Studies and means of achievement were summarized and shared in an open letter. A school scientific conference was organized, where groups of students presented their work and proposals to the educational community. Representatives of policy makers and other relevant bodies were invited to the conference. The project was also presented at the 4th Panhellenic Scientific Conference P.D.E. Crete in May 2022.
Conclusions on Open Schooling: Community participation in the Connect-Horizon 2022 program discussed the vital role that education plays in preparing students to collaboratively address global challenges and local issues facing humanity today, such as global warming, climate change , environmental destruction, disease, inequality and violence. Students’ contact not only with teachers but also with scientists and policy makers makes them think together and learn science to address global and local problems.
The change/innovation was supported by: [ x ] School management [ x ] school association/network
[ x ] Local government [ ] Other: ________________________________
Student results: The purpose of this Project was to create the right conditions for the students to develop a scientific way of thinking in their daily life. Low cultural familiarity with science, lack of role models, insufficient exposure to experimental methods of inquiry, as well as limited opportunities to participate in science outside of formal education lead to a lack of “scientific capital”. The solution is to add more opportunities to the curriculum for these students to learn what scientists do, talk to their families about science, and appreciate the impact of science on the world. The satisfaction level of the children after the end of the project was great as they saw their efforts rewarded, they completed the construction successfully, they met many scientists with whom they solved several problems and they communicated their results with great joy at the CONNECT conference.
This practice contributed to the increase of:
[ x ] engaging families with sciences [ x ] involving girls in science [ x ] raising awareness among students about careers in the natural sciences
Please specify: Parents participated in the collection of questionnaires for the student survey. The girls actively participated in the mapping and literature review and in general all students showed a special interest in digital maps and the contribution of geomorphological terrain to road construction.
News . Events Urban Planning from the perspective of students
Visual Arts (model construction). Through these academic subjects which were interdisciplinary combined and interdisciplinary developed, skills were cultivated such as the processing of cognitive content, the ability to distinguish useful information from a multitude of sources, the skills of digital map processing, the skills of strategic planning and mapping, the skills of problem-solving, cooperative learning communication skills, etc.
written texts.
[ x ] engaging families with sciences [ x ] involving girls in science [ x ] raising awareness among students about careers in the natural sciences
News . Events The visit to a bison reserve increased the motivation of the primary school students for the scientific action
CARE: We used the animal presentation materials for voting time, with students creating their own advocacy on behalf of their favorite animal, watched the film of wolf rewilding in Yellowstone Park and made food chains.
KNOW: We adapted and used the materials provided at the 3rd grade level so that we could complete as many actions as possible. As the children were very interested in these activities, most of the activities we did outside of class as extracurricular activities.
DO: Apart from the resources we received, we used the wwf.ro website, we visited the Neagra Bison Reservation in Bucșani, Dâmbovița – here the children interviewed a master hunter who is in charge of the zoo, we celebrated International Laughing Day on June 11, we made flyers and posters.
Open Schooling findings: The challenge was the guidebook we received, which I felt was adapted to the secondary school level, but the children were so excited about the project that I worked to adapt it to their level of understanding. Time was the biggest enemy.
Students’ results: They developed their teamwork skills, interview and advertising campaign skills, acquired new knowledge, enriched their vocabulary with specific terms (food chain, renaturation, ecosystem), learned for pleasure, out of curiosity and intrinsic motivation (participation in the project was voluntary).
News . Events Families and forestry specialists worked together to successfully carry out a scientific action adapted to the conditions of a Subcarpathian area
CARE: In this activity the families of the students were involved in order to study the specific habitat of the Subcarpathian area of Balcani commune, as well as forestry specialists in collaboration with the Moinești Forestry School.
KNOW: The concepts related to the geographical environment, biogeography and pollution were linked to the school curriculum.
DO: Students no longer found science difficult and difficult to approach because the activities they did were in line with their abilities and worked differentiated for the needs of the group.
Open Schooling findings: CONNECT resources were used to draw parallels between the species of CONNECT resources and those studied by students.
Students’ results: Students showed willingness to learn new things, but also deepened the knowledge already acquired previously. Also, they gained knowledge about the animals studied by making practical presentations/projects about them.
News . Events Science actions provided opportunities for a cross-curricular and inter-disciplinary approach
CARE: Open educational resources are a necessary part of the educational process, further contributing to learner-centered learning, access to, promotion and use of online content.
KNOW: CONNECT resources provided opportunities for a cross-curricular and inter-disciplinary approach, students consolidated and applied their knowledge of ecology, biology, ICT, in a wider context by producing information materials: leaflets, posters, posters, posters, calendars, etc.
DO: Pupils have established and applied their knowledge of trophic relationships; developing digital skills, technology, presenting information using different methods of communication.
Open Schooling findings: Useful and accessible information for students increased their confidence that they could handle tasks effectively and overcome difficulties. The scientific actions contributed to a responsible attitude on the part of students, the formation of research and investigation skills in the field of Science.
Students’ results: Students worked in teams and produced several products (leaflets, posters, posters, banners, calendars), which they presented during an activity in which three experts from Valahia University in Targoviste participated.
News . Events Interactive lessons using Open Educational Resources and enhanced by ICT skills
CARE: The resources were very useful as they motivated the teacher to rethink the lesson and increase the students’ input in their learning process. The STEM lesson becomes motivating not only for me as a teacher, but also for the students by developing students’ ability to collaborate with others when tackling a problem and formulating solutions.
KNOW: The activities allowed us to take a modern, transdisciplinary approach, room classroom thus transforming it into a creative learning environment where students and learnt new ways of solving problems, acquired those skills targeted by the curriculum, created and used tools in an innovative way. Science and technology are part of our lives and using them in a way that adds value is important.
DO: The students were really engaged in the new activities proposed by the new type of lesson, and through direct observation we recorded the students’ willingness to participate in a greater number of lessons designed on the new structure, the students felt attracted by the new learning/expression possibilities. The challenges and opportunities created by the COVID-19 pandemic, led to the unprecedented use of digital technology during this period. Even though at first students wondered “Can I do this?” “Will I be able to do it well?” “How can I do it better? “, the freedom to experiment, the accessibility of the platform, the ease of use and their engagement led to positive feedback.
Open Schooling findings: Open educational resources are useful for designing a modern, interactive lesson, involving rethinking the classic lesson. The use of OERs aims/has aimed to increase student motivation, adapting the instructional-educational approach in the manner of a modern, interactive lesson.
Students’ results: Through CONNECT resources, the lesson became cross-curricular, following the STEM model. Students improved their ICT skills, using different platforms (PREZI, ANIMOTO; MIND MAP) to document and present different case studies.
News . Events Through scientific investigation and problem solving the students have brought the scientific action to a successful conclusion
CARE: We created a course on Google Classroom platform to facilitate teacher-student, student-student, teacher-student-parents interaction. The course is entitled CONNECT with SCIENCE. The support materials offered within the project were presented. The choice of the representative species for the study was based on a Google forms questionnaire. Following the analysis of the questionnaire, the species chosen by the students was the Lynx.
KNOW: The activities proposed in the project were in correlation with the specific competences of the Biology subject and contribute to the formation of the profile of the secondary school graduate. From this point of view, the activities developed in the students the ability to
- solve problems and problem situations in everyday life;
- design and carry out an investigative approach to test a working hypothesis;
- process, graph and interpret experimental data and evidence;
- imagine and make some useful products for current activities;
- show an interest in healthy living and keeping the environment clean.
DO: The students actively participated in all the proposed activities and showed interest and enthusiasm. They worked as a team and successfully completed the proposed activities. Among the activities carried out:
- reading texts from atlases, magazines, etc. in order to extract information, summarise or make a logical outline of the content;
- watching films of different ecosystems/living environments to observe the characteristics of this species;
- completing worksheets and observation sheets based on information from various sources;
- graphical representation of food webs and food webs in which the species of interest is included;
- analysis of problem situations using graphical models (e.g. identification of the consequences of the disappearance of a species from a food web/introduction of a new species on the other living organisms in the food web).
Open Schooling findings: The project activities were attended by students who are interested in studying, students who like science and therefore the project activities were not stressful. In the first stage of the project, the students were satisfied with the activities carried out, they did not express any dissatisfaction, on the contrary they are looking forward to new topics of discussion to direct them in research and investigation activities.
Students’ results: The pupils adapted to the project activities along the way. They worked as a team and helped each other, cooperating successfully within the group. They produce promotional material for the species of interest – flyer.
News . Events Connecting to nature in science actions stimulates students’ curiosity.
CARE: It was difficult at first to get them interested, but with patience, slowly, things started to come together. Of course, there was also competition between teams, who could make the most successful plea for the introduction of a species, who made the best campaign, etc.
KNOW: The most important relationships that are established between living things in a biocenosis are feeding relationships, also called trophic relationships. Students were able to highlight food chains in different possible scenarios depending on the species proposed for rewilding. Applications such as this were very well folded into the respective biology and ecology curricula.
DO: The students worked in teams and tried to document and analyse evidence provided by researchers to support different claims. The results were presented in an activity attended by three experts from the Valahia University of Targoviste.
Open Schooling findings: The open educational resources were a support for teachers as they followed the competences of the curriculum in several subjects: biology, ecology, biodiversity conservation. Most of the activities carried out used open educational resources because they were easy to use, we had free access and they were in an accessible format.
Students’ results: The students have produced various products as a result of this project, such as posters, posters for the promotion of animal species, a poster and a calendar for the year 2022 with the species canis lupus. They worked in teams and tried to document and analyse evidence provided by researchers to support different claims.
News . Events Open Schooling helps student understand trhough application, acquire knowledge, develop communication skills, and think with creativity (Best Practice – Romania)
CARE: In the activities, we followed the following steps, according to the teacher’s guide CARE, students were engaged with the socio-scientific issue: Which animal should we select to return to Romania for rewilding? The activities were attractive, engaging for the students, we discussed each theme proposed in the guide.
KNOW: Students learned about the following curriculum topics: Renaturalisation of wolf, lynx, fallow deer – food chains, trophic relationships in terrestrial ecosystems ( Biology, 5th grade ). The main activities, which led to the achievement of the learning objectives according to the curriculum, were on food chains, food webs, trophic relationships in terrestrial ecosystems.
DO: The pupils solved homework, an activity in which they also involved their families, they made reports, leaflets, evidence sheets on the animals proposed for rewilding.
Open Schooling findings: The resources provided were easy to use, the activities were clearly explained, the interaction with all project participants was continuous.The results were presented in a demonstration lesson with the participation of three research experts from Valahia University in Targoviste.
Students’ results: Students Learned through understanding and application, stimulating interest in knowledge, developing communication skills, thinking and creativity.
News . Events Science action on Health: prevention of Covid.19 at the school supported by participatory research (Best Practice – Spain)
CARE: The socio-scientific issue was on how to improve the prevention of Covid.19 at the school. The professionals that gave support were the scientific community from Escoles Sentinella project: science communicators, biologists, epidemiologists, paediatricians among others, helping on the facilitation of the participatory research. From an invitation letter to the project and with some previous knowledge explorations the students get fully committed to the project.
KNOW: As the activities were implemented from the tutoring sessions, the debate competence and also the citizenship education topic (social values content) were the aspects more worked using this CONNECT resource. Despite we did not go in depth with biological issues, the students also learned a lot about how the coronavirus is spread and why do we need those preventions measures to protect everybody from the transmission.
DO: Students developed communication skills and skills to create, design and edit video, as they chose disseminate their results through a video. Students also developed iinquiry skills, participation skills and transdisciplinary methodologies. The science actions included teamwork, collaborative learning within the class and with other stakeholders and that science useful to solve real-life challenges.
Findings about open schooling: The activity they did was adapted to the curriculum of Obligatory Secondary Education (ESO) and it was implemented at the tutoring sessions.
Results for students: Students get more confident on debating and on presenting their own opinions to the group. The activity has led to greater awareness of Covid-19 prevention and how the measures to achieve that can be improved by a participatory research process.
CONNECT Resources used: LINK
News . Events Organic functions of alcohol in times of pandemic (Best Practice Brazil)
CARE: The students were involved in the discussion about the COVID-19 contingency plan. The participants were 180 students, between 14 and 17 years old, from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades of high school, with 162 of them having completed the scientific actions, with their families, a teacher, a researcher, and a scientist shared their concerns about the issues of cleaning and contamination, where the power of alcohol can make a difference. Questions about why alcohol, why 70% alcohol, why in the hands, how and why the contagion of COVID-19 occurs, how to prevent it, among others, were questions raised and discussed. The main purpose was to train multipliers students to disseminate the scientific knowledge studied at school to families and the surrounding community.
KNOW: Different activities were developed, in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary way, in Natural Sciences, and with an emphasis on the scientific content of Chemistry, particularly the analysis of data about alcohol in the prevention of COVID-19. In this way, the students became interested in the study, understanding the organic functions of 70% alcohol and its interactions in hygiene and contamination prevention measures. The students participated in carrying out the learning activities, expanding their repertoire of knowledge, based on science. The skills developed address the student’s ability to be a protagonist, acting as multipliers of scientific knowledge in COVID-19 prevention measures, especially speaking with property of how the destruction of the coronavirus happens with the use of alcohol. As attitudes, it was sought to develop the prevention of health and human life; to value the knowledge acquired in the school environment in the practice of the context in which one lives and to argue, with scientific property, in the discussions and practices of the use of alcohol in the prevention of COVID-19.
DO: Students were involved in the following activities:
- Analyze hygiene issues in the school, family, and society context as fundamental measures to prevent COVID-19.
- Contextualize the scientific content with the current situation of COVID-19, in school environments and the safety measures to be taken to preserve everyone’s health and life.
- Provide experiences on hand hygiene with soap and alcohol to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the light of laboratory experimentation.
- Develop in school spaces the skills of being a protagonist in making responsible decisions in the face of COVID-19.
- Prepare students to be multipliers of correct information about COVID-19 hygiene measures, covering family, school, leisure, social and cultural environments.
FINDINGS: The open scenario methodology used was project-based collaborative learning. Students brought their own questions, discussed with the scientists and their families. The laboratory experiences made it possible to verify scientific knowledge in practice. The integration of the school curriculum with scientific action enabled new teaching and learning practices. It is observed that both complement each other in the teaching and learning processes.
OUTCOMES: In general, the students actively participated in the proposed activities on the study of alcohol in times of COVID-19. Always interacting with significant questions to expand knowledge through the scientific content of chemistry that guide the benefits and risk of using soap and alcohol in hygiene in the pandemic. It was surprising how the students began to act during and after the study was carried out. The dominance of scientific argumentation among peers was evident. The ability to make responsible decisions in the use of alcohol in hand hygiene in different spaces and places was really developed. It was gratifying to see the change in students’ habits in terms of caring, knowing and doing. However, the very social distancing in the pandemic caused a lot of disruption in the school routine and the return of face-to-face classes with 50% of students reduced the time for carrying out learning activities. Thus, the action did not have direct contact with the scientist as expected.
Find out more here: Our report.
News . Events Together against Covid-19 (Best Practice Brazil)
CARE: The students were involved in the discussion about the COVID-19 contingency plan. The participants were 47 students, in three classes of 1st year of high school. As a guiding question, the importance of vaccination was worked on to overcome the pandemic of the new coronavirus, together with their families, a teacher, a researcher. Due to the pandemic scenario, it was not possible to have the synchronous participation of experts during the science-action, but activities were developed that sought to involve the family in the debate on scientific issues. To build knowledge and facilitate discussions in the hybrid format, debates were encouraged through virtual learning environments.
KNOW: Interdisciplinary activities were developed, even without the involvement of a biology teacher, for example, when dealing with the importance of vaccination against pandemic diseases, health issues and social well-being. In addition, we worked with the abstract textual genre, its structure and organization. The proposed activities aimed to improve the skills of asking questions, analyzing data, verifying information and sources, weighing arguments, drawing conclusions and sharing ideas. As for the attitudes to be developed, we sought to value public health and social well-being, science and scientific investigation and collaborative work; the notion of collectivity and the consideration of data and information, seeking to verify its reliability, as well as the importance of debate and respect for the collective construction of knowledge.
DO: For the development of this science-action activity, the following activities were carried out:
- Previous conversation (with slideshow support) about the importance of vaccination, vaccines approved in Brazil and their risks and benefits;
- Installation of a virtual wall – the Padlet platform was used for this activity;
- Reading of the selected article, which will be summarized later;
- Verification and verification of the information presented in the article read;
- Sharing of sources consulted on the virtual wall;
- Discussion of researched information and expansion of the repertoire on the topic;
- Work with the characteristics of the summary genre, with the support of slides;
- Presentation of the abstract production proposal.
- Production and sharing of abstracts on the virtual wall.
FINDINGS: The open scenario methodology used was project-based collaborative learning, even in a virtual environment. Students brought their own questions, discussed with the scientists and their families. The fact that the students had devices that allowed the research and assembly of the virtual wall (smartphones, computers, internet, etc.) was fundamental for the development of the activity. In addition, teamwork also contributed to making the activity more interesting for students. It is essential for the teacher to have more ready-made (or easily adaptable) materials, such as videos, podcasts, slides, graphics, etc., to use as support during classes. The discussions carried out through participatory science contributed to a greater awareness of students about vaccination against the coronavirus, and these were shared with the community through the production of a school summary, which was posted on a virtual wall to facilitate access for students. all.
OUTCOMES: The students really enjoyed the activities, as they stimulate debate on topics that are relevant to them. In any case, the proposed activities were carried out in a collaborative way, which contributed to their engagement. It was interesting to see how the students gradually engaged during the activities, especially the debates. At first, there was some reluctance to participate in the discussions, perhaps for fear of not having their position respected or valued. When they realized that their contributions were accepted and taken into account, more and more students decided to present their positions. The students were very interested in the topics under discussion. In addition, they were critical of the researched data, verifying sources and prioritizing information from scientific studies. It was very gratifying to see how much they liked the activity, requesting that other actions be carried out with the same format. Being a content school, it was not possible to dedicate more classes to the activity, which made some steps to be carried out in a reduced way. For this reason, it was also not possible to involve any professor of Natural Sciences – leaving this question to be adapted in future studies and applications. Due to the pandemic, it was not possible to bring outside experts to the school, so we seek texts with scientific credibility and involve the family in the proposed discussions.