Winding Up a Long Night of Science

Two weeks ago, the FIS had the pleasure to host this year’s Long Night of Science children’s program.

Six students from Grade 11, along with two staff members, lead a variety of activities for visitors to explore the link between Sports and Science.

“When we were approached with this opportunity, we realized it’s a great way to illustrate how interesting and important the subject of Sports Science is,” notes Adrian Haug, HoD PE and coordinator for the Long Night of Science at the FIS this year.

He adds that the FIS has always been a sporty school. Hosting a Sports and Health Science-themed event was a novel approach to 3 the angle of Science in.

Alessia Prest, who teaches PE and SEHS at the FIS and also led the event with Mr. Haug, commends the enthusiasm of the six students – Olivier van der Wart, Tobi Oyinlola, Graeme Aissen, Anais Klause, Finn Runkel, and Sophie Beste. “It’s worth mentioning that this is an especially busy time of year for them,” she says. “There are EE deadlines, IA due dates, and end-of-year exams coming up, yet the students jumped in and put on such a good work.”

Earlier this year, Grade 11 Science students had another chance to pass on their learning to an audience. As part of a Sports Science project, they were required to design an activity and help EY5 kids perform it in a practical setting“Back then, we saw how well they could work with the kids, so we thought why not give them a platform to learn through experience again, rather than through books,” Ms. Prest reflects.

The preparation for the Long Night of Science also involved setting up activities. Students came up with research questions, for example: to what extent does friction impact speed in an agility course, or, why do muscles shorten when contracting. Based on these, they established hypotheses and developed experiments.

Pointing to the softer skills they demonstrated in this process, Ms. Prest says the students were extremely enthusiastic, showed initiative, and actively asked questions. “They supported each other at the experiment stations. They showed teamwork, cooperation, social skills, and communication,” she alludes to some of the IB Learner Profile attributes.

“Not only was this an opportunity for us to network in the community, but we provided our students to look deeper into the subject and to research, and for them to engage in teaching others. It pushed their learning boundaries in a practical and interactive way,” Mr. Haug elaborates on how this project aimed to enable authentic learning.

The students, indeed, got a chance to step out of their comfort zones and share their work, not only within the FIS but also with the outside community. “Experiences like these make them realize the value of what they study,” Ms. Prest observes, “because it’s not just about the end of the unit test, but about sharing their understanding and knowledge further.”

Both, Mr. Haug and Ms. Prest conclude by saying that they can’t be more proud of how the students did. The event was a success and the wider community could get a glimpse into how we aspire to support holistic learning at the FIS.

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