Click for a script you could use to introduce the activity to your students ā¬ļø
Students, today we are taking part in an Iām an Engineer Chat. Engineers have been invited to come and chat with us online, through typed conversations. You can ask them any question you like and theyāll reply.
Weāre doing this to develop our:
Subject knowledge
Question formation
Careers understanding
Online behaviour skills
Weāll have half an hour to chat with these engineers. First, we need to create an account and log in.
If using login cards: I am going to hand out a login card with a pre-made username and password. I have a copy of who has which card.
If using the student registration URL: I have shared a link with you to create an account. You will need to use your school email address.
If you already have an account, you can join our class using this link
[Display the āExisting students joinā URL]
The moderator will open the Chat and explain how it works. After we have finished the Chat, I will receive a transcript of the whole chat, deleted lines and all.
After the Chat, you will have 5 minutes to ask any follow-up questions that you have. The moderator will give us a link to the Ask page. You can also vote for your favourite engineer. The winner at the end of the year will receive Ā£500.
Lesson Objective:
Show research skills in reading engineer profiles to construct questions which involve higher-order thinking
Recall new subject content relevant to their current school topics
Name at least two engineering-related careers
Engage in conversations with engineers in an appropriate manner
Use the internet safely by demonstrating appropriate behaviour
Use critical thinking to make an informed voting decision
Curriculum links:
Apply principles and concepts to unfamiliar situations
Make informed judgements about STEM
Resources:
Chat booking (important: book in advance from your Dashboard)
Computers, laptops, or tablets
Login cards or registration URL for individuals or pairs (you will find these from your Dashboard or your Chat booking confirmation)
Give students access to the activity through the pre-made login cards or the student registration URL
Tell students which engineers will be attending your Chat
Students should explore the profiles of the engineers attending your Chat – each student should write down 3 questions they would like to ask during the Chat
Support:
Students work in pairs
Come up with some questions as a group
Scaffold questions or provide sentence starters
Extend:
Students look at the questions they have formed and see if they can make them open-ended questions
In the final few minutes of the Chat, alongside the modās prompt, encourage students to think of a question that theyād like more information about
Students use the Ask feature to ask their questions; this is also a good chance to re-ask a question that didnāt get answered in the Chat
Support:
Students could ask a question about a personal interest of theirs or the engineers
Extend:
Students should think about a question that was answered by an engineer in the Chat – can they ask a follow-up question to this to deepen their understanding?
