How Science teachers use online learning in the classroom

Atomi has landed in Ontario! So what does that mean for Science teachers? 

Atomi is an easier way to drive engagement in the classroom, with curriculum-specific courses that contain videos, quizzes and text lessons that are backed by the latest research. The content is tailored to a new generation of students–it’s short, sharp and designed for the times. 

Teachers across Ontario are already using edtech to boost engagement, support differentiation and prepare for practicals, so we wanted to share the top ways that Science teachers use Atomi in the classroom. Let’s jump in!  

Teach real-world examples with ease

We know it can be tricky to convince students that scientific theory matters in the real world. We’ve made this a breeze by rounding out most topics with in-depth lessons on real-world examples. For example, our case study on Sustainable Plant Growth applies what students have learnt about plant diversity to the issue of feeding the growing human population in Canada.

Or have fun with your class by assigning them a lesson like Social and Ethical Issues of Cloning for pre-work. Then, kick off your class with a lesson that extends the application and gets them thinking about different perspectives, such as the Social and Ethical Issues of Cloning. After that, divide the class into two and get them to prepare a debate about the pros and cons. 

Set group work that promotes participation

With class sizes growing each year, it’s getting trickier to encourage participation from all students, with many students feeling intimidated. Our Atomi Science content is perfect for the jigsaw technique in mastery learning. Say you’re teaching the circulatory system, you could break students up into three groups, assigned to the heart, blood and blood vessel components of the circulatory system. Direct each group to complete the relevant Atomi lessons and quizzes for their component, before presenting what they’ve learnt back to the class. For homework, get students to complete the quizzes for the components they didn’t present in class.

Support students through tricky scientific concepts

As de-streaming encourages classes of mixed abilities throughout high school, it can be difficult to effectively differentiate and support students through tricky scientific concepts. 

You may notice some students fall behind as the scientific concepts get more challenging, such as when learning to name organic compounds. Try flipping the classroom and assigning our easy-to-understand Atomi lessons and quizzes from our naming organic compounds topic before covering the material in class. You can check the quiz results to see who did well and who was struggling. Using this information, differentiate your class by getting high-performing students to complete extension work without guidance while coaching the low-performing students through further naming examples.

Break down big topics into manageable pieces

When you want to spend more time on a topic because it's particularly interesting for your cohort, lesson planning can become big and complicated. Atomi helps you break down those huge topics into manageable pieces.

For example, if your students are interested in Gas Laws, start with manageable lessons such as Pressure in Gases. Then, break them into groups for the different gas laws. Students should spend the rest of class mastering their law and completing the respective practice questions on Atomi for homework. In the next class, each group can share their learnings and take notes on the other gas laws.

Help students visualize key biological concepts

Some concepts in Biology, such as Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes, are hard to see with the naked eye. For homework, have students watch our short, sharp explanatory videos and then draw a diagram. 

Step students through practicals

Our content can step your students through a practical topic like titration from start to finish. Start your class with a quick summary of the basics by watching the Introduction to Titration video. Then, have students complete titration experiments for the rest of the class, using practical guides like Titration Techniques and Procedures. For homework, have the students watch Titration Calculations and bring their answers to the next class.

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