Implementation of “Climate Change WebQuest” (SOI-HR-375)

Author: Iva Hundak, English Teacher

School/Organization: Samobor School of Economics, Trade and Catering

As an English teacher, I need to be able to talk about and guide my students through a variety of topics, so I implemented the Climate Change WebQuest scenario with one of my classes. We had already been exploring global issues in our English classes, particularly the subject of climate change, as it is practically the most important issue society is dealing with at the moment. Therefore, I aimed to revise and expand their vocabulary and reading skills using a digital environment.

Choosing a scenario

I chose to implement the Climate Change WebQuest scenario to further broaden the topic of climate change I had already been exploring with a first-year high school English class of 19 students who are between 15-16 years of age. They are very motivated and their language skills are good. The students had not been familiar with Europeana and the possibilities it offers beforehand so I briefly explained the context and showed them the website. 

The scenario was implemented in the classroom so the day before I asked the students to bring their mobile phones to class and to make sure they have Internet access. I also prepared two laptops in case someone needed them, but only one was actually used. I chose this particular scenario not only because of its topic but also because it was in the form of a WebQuest. It was the first time I used that format to teach a lesson so I was looking forward to trying something new. The students were also excited to learn in a completely digital environment and not have to bring textbooks to class.

Organizing the lesson

The learning scenario in question intends for students to work in teams of 3-4 and aims to be a 45-minute lesson, but I adapted it and instead had students work in pairs for 90 minutes. In this way, students became more engaged with the material. I circulated and helped whenever it was necessary.

Hard at work. Photo by Iva Hundak

Preparation

Before having the students do the WebQuest, I also did it myself and noticed some activities needed to be modified because certain digital content was no longer available. It is understandable since the learning scenario was originally published in 2020. Therefore, I found the resources that had been (re)moved and I created a new Mentimeter presentation so students could give their feedback. I also decided to skip the optional introduction activity in the form of a video since my students were already familiar with the chosen topic and eager to start the WebQuest itself. To facilitate organizing the gathered information, I prepared a worksheet and handed it out. I also created a QR code of the WebQuest for easier access.

Activites

Students first did a short matching activity to revise key vocabulary. Then they did the WebQuest itself. It consisted of 7 tasks where they answered different questions by clicking on links and searching for information in the articles. It took about 50 minutes.

Student reports. Photo by Iva Hundak

Then each pair wrote a short summary of what they learned in the process and they read their report to the class. This activity was 25 minutes long. Then the students gave feedback in the form of a Mentimeter survey and we discussed the results.

Feedback was very positive. Photo by Iva Hundak

Timing

I found the 90 minutes planned to be cutting it quite close, as the students took their assignment seriously and went into more detail than I anticipated. In the future, I will explain that the answers, particularly the final task of writing a short report on climate change, needn’t be as comprehensive. Since the students worked extremely hard in the class, I decided to skip the proposed homework activity.

Learning about climate change

The main learning outcome I wanted my students to achieve was to use the vocabulary we had previously learned by using various digital resources and improving their digital competences. It is also important for them to realize that learning vocabulary isn’t about grades; it is about utilizing knowledge for their own improvement. There were, of course, other learning outcomes, like learning to use verified resources, such as the UN or NASA website, to recognize and gather specific information.

Although I had told the students they wouldn’t need their notebooks in that class, some brought them and I was surprised to see them using them and checking what we had previously discussed and written down in class. They later said that they had been highly motivated to use digital resources. The students also commented on some of the information they gathered. For example, they had not been aware of the existence of the Kyoto Protocole. 

Furthermore, there was a discussion on what is meant by the word “evidence”, where I had to explain that they would need to give concrete numbers in support of their arguments, not just claim something and say it was common knowledge.

I would advise other educators to check the learning scenario and prepare the materials to facilitate learning in advance and to explain to students that they needn’t go into too much detail.

Learning about teaching

I have to confess I had heard about Europeana, but before doing this learning scenario, I had never visited its website. I hadn’t known about the Teaching with Europeana initiative at all. I am very glad to have found these resources, as they will be immensely helpful in my work. I had difficulties choosing the learning scenario I would implement because there are so many that seem interesting and there is a wide variety of topics to choose from. Luckily, I teach several different classes so I plan to implement more learning scenarios, as the feedback from my students is overwhelmingly positive. 

The usage of Europeana resources went as planned, and I would recommend other educators to use them, as it is an exciting new way to enjoy our digital heritage and foster learning.

Did you find this story of implementation interesting? Why don’t you read about the related learning scenario? Climate Change WebQuest created by Anita Lasić

Did you find this story of implementation interesting? You might also like: 

• Climate change – There is no Plan(et) B implemented by Eleni Aliataki
•  Climate change – Just a beginning implemented by Zehra Güleniş
• Take aim at climate change implemented by Emine Ertas

Do you want to discover more stories of implementation? Click here.

CC0 1.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the Statens Museum for Kunst.