Pedagogy for Virtual Schooling

Teacher's core pedagogical beliefs are reflected in the activities they develop for Virtual Schooling for K-12 students. Below are examples of inquiry-based learning, modeling of scientific practices, access to authentic online scientific instruments and real-world learning environments, promotion of student collaboration, and the use of performance assessment we saw in the studies analyzed by the project:

• Inquiry-based learning was encouraged
  • Students participated in the predict, observe, explain learning process promoted by the National Science Education Standards - see case study Life and Physical Science: Online Lab Instrument Access
• Authentic activities mirrored real scientists' practice
• Tasks required students to conduct procedural steps that mirror those of real scientists, i.e. testing, observation, analysis, comparison and evaluation - see case study Physics: Scientific Reports of Virtual Labs
• Students demonstrated scientific phenomena for each other
• ... the teacher occasionally alternated the originating ICN site. He traveled to each high school in turn to conduct labs. From there he guided remote student(s) to demonstrate over the ICN, so that all students saw classmates doing physics - see case study Physics: Active Web-based Labs
• Opportunities were provided for practice in the lab and in the field
• Real-world learning context during the practicum allowed students to apply their understandings of food science theory - see case study Chef Youth Apprenticeship: Demonstration Video Labs
• Scientific lab experiences and assessment were available in a variety of contexts
  • Students completed Autopsy of a Dill Pickle lab using readily available materials at home - see case study Anatomy and Physiology: Active Web-based Labs
  • Students engaged in virtual photosynthesis laboratory simulations at home school computer labs through an online software provider - see case study Biology: Enhanced Course Through Virtual Labs
  • Learning of every topic in the course was supported by longitudinal case-oriented lab activities requiring only materials that were locally available at grocery stores, pet shops, etc - see case study Environmental Science: Longitudinal Case-oriented Labs

Guidance developed by: Niki Davis, Ph.D., Dale Niederhauser, Ph.D., Lilly Compton, M.S., and Denise Lindstrom, M.S., Iowa State University Center for Technology in Learning and Teaching.