Can we really study Science online?
The DP 1 students Nirja Nakhwa and Iman Khan have shared their perspectives about studying Science online. They explore the importance of practical investigations and the alternatives that their teachers provide when science laboratories are inaccessible. They deliver their thoughts on whether or not these alternatives are effective.
Nirja Nakhwa, DP
It has certainly been a huge change in all our lives, switching from a physical world to a digital world. Adaptation has really been put to test for all of us, since for me as a student, Sciences have never been my cup of tea. Last year, when we initially started with virtual learning it was immensely difficult to focus during classes and since it was the 10th grade, the pressure was much more demotivating.
On the contrary, our science classes were quite fun at times, where teachers planned lab activities which we could perform at home with the available equipment. I remember when once in our chemistry class, we performed an experiment to understand the rate of a reaction using baking soda and vinegar. That class was extremely nostalgic since it took me back to when we planned and performed interesting lab experiments in our school laboratories, however, I think that our teachers never failed to make sure that each of us was thoroughly engaged in class, and at the same time they tried to make our classes fun.
Personally, if I were to talk about my understanding of scientific concepts, I would say that I relate to them a lot more when I experience certain theories in real-life, which transfers the understanding of scientific knowledge to real-life experiences.
In this way I am able to gain a more hands-on perspective of certain topics. Hence, for me, online simulations and experiments have always been helpful. On the other hand, there were times when teachers gave us asynchronous classes. Now these were life savers! After an overwhelming day or week of just online classes. It was not only a way for me to escape reality and not have to worry about keeping my video on, but also a way in which I was really able to challenge myself to work on my own. Asynchronous classes really motivated me to try new concepts by myself and challenge myself to solve questions or understand topics through various perspectives, followed by research.
At EIS, the teachers introduced various hands-on activities online and experiments that we could perform in order to improve and make our learning a lot more interesting.
Iman Khan, DP-1
The question of if science can really be studied online assumes that it can be studied at all. And anyone who has ever sat down to learn about Newton’s laws knows that is a faulty assumption. So now it must be considered whether what was done in class can be approximated on computers.
One of the main challenges in this is of course that of conducting experiments. Although things can be replicated at home at a smaller scale or done via the internet on simulations the sense or ‘feel’ of the experiment is not the same. It’s one thing to write about using a measuring cylinder and get perfect data in an online experiment but another to spill everything over a table trying to pour it in a beaker. In a subject that can sometimes seem so abstract it’s important to remember how it’s only describing the real world and for this seeing real results is very important.
Another problem with studying online is the difficulty of developing an intuition and ideas behind scientific theories. Although it’s easy to compute answers to problems, during the rush of online classes where all students are exhausted from staring at screens all day It becomes hard to discuss what these definitions or theories even mean. But this approach makes it difficult to imagine what such implications lead to.
Despite all the problems the lockdown has provided everyone with the opportunity to think about science more. As most of us are stuck in, we can’t help but to look out the window observing how the light reflects off the empty streets or how the plants are changing throughout the year. It’s in these thoughts that the most original scientific ideas originate. Remember that Newton also came up with the idea of gravitation, optics and calculus during the time he was at home trying to avoid the plague.