FizziQ for diversity

"FizziQ for Diversity" is a project piloted by Trapèze.digital aiming to use the FizziQ Junior app to promote the integration of migrant children into classrooms, focusing on science education. The FizziQ Junior app, developed by Trapèze.digital in collaboration with La Main à la pâte Foundation and the French Ministry of Education, supports inquiry-based science education by providing pedagogical practices to parents and teachers.

 

This project was conducted between January and June 2023 and took place in 5 countries with the participation of primary school teachers whose classes included a significant number of children from migration backgrounds. The interviews we conducted following this pilot, often filled with emotion, highlighted several trends in the use of digital pedagogical tools for science in primary classrooms:

 

1. Facilitate science learning: The FizziQ Junior app has demonstrated its ability to make scientific concepts more accessible and interesting for students. For instance, Teacher A organized a sound scale experiment, where students used the app to measure different sounds in their environment, such as whispers, screams, the sound of the school bell, and more. Thanks to the app, students could materialize these scientific concepts through graphs and diagrams, making learning more interactive. Teacher B used the app for three different lessons, including teaching angles of a triangle and analyzing the slope of a wheelchair ramp. Here, the app's geometric math tool allowed students to understand the concept of a triangle's angles in just 15 minutes - a task that would usually take an hour without the app. The session continued with a discussion with the school director about slope regulations after the students identified that those at school were not compliant.

 

2. Usability and ease of use: One of the strengths of the FizziQ Junior app is its intuitive and easy-to-use interface. This was particularly appreciated by Teacher C, whose class was made up of students with reading and writing difficulties. Despite these obstacles, Teacher C was able to use the app's color module to analyze colors in nature, thus demonstrating the app's accessibility even for users with difficulties. No bugs were reported by teachers and the creation of activities and sharing via QR code is simple and intuitive for the teacher.

 

3. Student engagement: The use of the FizziQ Junior app generated significant engagement from students. A notable example is the experience of Teacher D, who organized an activity called "Colors, Melodies, and Scents of my Homeland." This activity allowed students to integrate aspects of their home culture, including by photographing typical foods from their countries, thus promoting a rich cultural exchange and a sense of inclusion for migrant students.

 

4. Adaptability to various learning contexts: The FizziQ Junior app demonstrated its effectiveness in various educational contexts. For example, Teacher E, who works in a traditional school with a significant number of students requiring special education, used the app for an outdoor activity on bird life and measuring angles of bird nests. Despite potential challenges associated with the diversity of his students, Teacher E noticed increased engagement and excitement among his students when using the app.

 

5. Suggestions for improvement: The study revealed several improvement suggestions made by teachers. These include adding more languages to make the app more accessible to a wider audience, and introducing new measuring instruments to cover a broader range of scientific fields.

 

Overall, the study showed that the FizziQ Junior app is an effective pedagogical tool for teaching science. It engages students in an interactive and intuitive way and offers enough flexibility to adapt to various teaching contexts. However, improvements could still be made to maximize its potential."