Term 2 began in front of a computer screen at home for most school students in Victoria. In2science partner schools recognize the importance of university mentors and teachers have been incredibly proactive to include them in their virtual classrooms.
One of these teachers is Carolyn Drenen, teacher of Chemistry, Science and Mathematics from Lalor North College who invited her mentors Karina Rice and Maree Patsouras to join her classes using WebEx. When asked about her experience with our mentors, Carolyn said,
“Both Karina and Maree have been enthusiastic, professional helpers when they were on our school campus (before the COVID -19 school closures) and during my remote classes, as we have all had to adjust pretty quickly to these new learning environments. I am very lucky to have their expertise and support during this time.”
Before the first class, Carolyn sent briefings to Karina and Maree. Carolyn explained the structure of the lesson and how to best use their expertise to enrich the learning experience of her students. Karina, who is studying Bachelor of Science in Biomedicine at La Trobe University, was asked to share her experience in how scientific models are used at university to illustrate concepts. The theme in Maree’s lesson were the uses and major discoveries using electromagnetic waves. Maree, an honours student in Bachelor of Psychology at La Trobe University, was asked to share her knowledge on how electromagnetic waves contributed to breakthroughs in psychological testing and research.
In the first week of online mentoring, Karina sat and observed the lesson which helped her arrange something interactive for the next lesson. After two weeks of online mentoring, Maree gave students practical examples of how the topic is applied in psychology, noting that giving real life examples worked well to engage the students. Later, Maree said, “I had a really productive lesson and felt like I really contributed. It was an adjustment to online classes for me, but I am feeling more confident about my role in the classroom”.
Overall, Carolyn is thrilled with how her classes are progressing, despite the dramatic shift in teaching and learning from the classroom to online over the last month. Carolyn praised our mentors, saying, “I am extremely lucky to have two enthusiastic In2Science mentors (in Karina and Maree) and they are both doing a fantastic job in this challenging on-line learning environment”.
This is just one example of how In2science is assisting school students so they can maintain their enthusiasm for studies through this unprecedented time. If you’d like to know more about our tailored online mentoring options during remote learning, click here.
