Implementation of PhET Activities for STEM Education

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Implementation of PhET Activities for STEM Education

This course is part of Active Learning in STEM with PhET Interactive Simulations Specialization

Instructors: Zachariah Mbasu

4,056 already enrolled

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3 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

22 reviews

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

99%

Most learners liked this course

3 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

22 reviews

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

99%

Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

Become familiar with strategies to facilitate student use of simulations during a simulation-based activity.
Implement a simulation-based mathematics or science lesson.
Reflect on and revise a sim-based Teacher Guide before and after your implementation.

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

1 assignment¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Active Learning in STEM with PhET Interactive Simulations Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

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Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 3 modules in this course

PhET Interactive Simulations ( https://phet.colorado.edu/ ), a project of the University of Colorado Boulder, provides fun, free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations for use across, primary, secondary, and higher education levels. We extensively test and evaluate each simulation to ensure educational effectiveness. All simulations are open source and free to all students and teachers.

In this course, you will learn how to effectively design and implement a Teacher Guide that makes use of PhET’s simulations for mathematics and science. To finish this course, you need to complete two assignments with Peer Review: 1) Design a Teacher Guide that integrates an inquiry-based activity with simulations, and 2) Implement your lesson in your class, and reflect on the results. This course is the fourth and final of four courses that make up the specialization “Active Learning in STEM with PhET Interactive Simulations”. This course is also available in Spanish as “Implementación de Actividades PhET para la Educación STEM” and in Portuguese as "Implementação de Atividades PhET para Educação STEM".

In this module, you will learn how to effectively design a Teacher Guide that makes use of PhET’s mathematics and science simulations, and then reflect upon the implementation of a PhET simulation-based lesson.

What's included

6 readings1 discussion prompt

In this module, you will take the Teacher Guide you have already prepared, and consider a number of facilitation strategies. You will then again review your guide and make improvements before submitting it for peer review.

What's included

9 videos11 readings1 peer review9 discussion prompts

9 videos Total 52 minutes

Facilitating Activities with PhET: An Overview 6 minutes
Preparing for a PhET Activity 4 minutes
Getting Started in Class 4 minutes
Starting Out with Open Play 5 minutes
Circulating and Helping Students in Small Groups 8 minutes
Pacing and Checks for Understanding 5 minutes
Supporting Student Ownership 9 minutes
Facilitating Whole Class Discussions 7 minutes
Pulling it All Together 3 minutes

11 readings Total 22 minutes

Facilitation Overview 1 minute
Preparing for a PhET Activity 1 minute
Getting Started in Class 1 minute
Starting Out with Open Play 1 minute
Circulating and Helping Students in Small Groups 1 minute
Pacing and Checking for Understanding 1 minute
Supporting Student Ownership 1 minute
Facilitating Whole Class Discussions 1 minute
Pulling It All Together 1 minute
Technical Tips 3 minutes
Teaching Online or Asynchronously 10 minutes

1 peer review Total 90 minutes

Teacher Guide & Pre-Implementation Reflection 90 minutes

9 discussion prompts Total 170 minutes

Preparing Your Teacher Guide 20 minutes
Getting Started in Class 20 minutes
Starting Out with Open Play 20 minutes
Circulating and Helping Students in Small Groups 20 minutes
Pacing and Checking for Understanding 20 minutes
Supporting Student Ownership 20 minutes
Facilitating Whole Class Discussions 20 minutes
Pulling It All Together 20 minutes
Technical Tips 10 minutes

In this module, you will take the Teacher Guide you have created and implement it in your own classroom. If you aren’t currently teaching, be creative! We invite you to trying it out with an age-appropriate learner or a teaching colleague. However you decide to try your materials, ensure that you capture some evidence of implementation (e.g., completed learner activity sheet, anonymized multimedia showing learners using the simulation, etc.) for inclusion in your assignment submission.

What's included

7 readings1 assignment1 peer review1 plugin

7 readings Total 199 minutes

Final Preparations 3 minutes
Observation Tool 30 minutes
Time to Teach! 90 minutes
Post-Implementation Reflection 60 minutes
Submission to the PhET Activity Database 10 minutes
Spread and Promote PhET Resources 5 minutes
Get Your Certificate 1 minute

1 assignment Total 10 minutes

Congratulations! 10 minutes

1 peer review Total 90 minutes

Teacher Guide & Post-Implementation Reflection 90 minutes

1 plugin Total 15 minutes

Final Evaluation 15 minutes

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Instructors

Instructor ratings

(13 ratings)

Zachariah Mbasu

University of Colorado Boulder

5 Courses 8,653 learners

Offered by

University of Colorado Boulder

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Reviewed on Aug 25, 2023

Implementation of Phet Simulations in Education for Maths and Science subjects .

Reviewed on May 27, 2024

I love this course because I have learned how to improve my teaching in the classroom and to make teaching inclusive

Reviewed on Apr 28, 2023

PhET ARE VERY INTERATIVE WITH THE LEARNERS. MAKES LEARNING ENJOYABLE.

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Frequently asked questions

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

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