Abstract:

Nowadays, educational models provide programs to address the diverse learning needs of students. These strategies promote equity and ensure an inclusive education. Special attention should be paid to high-ability students since they demand educational responses which would allow them to fully develop their capacities.

In this context, the regional government of Andalusia “Junta de Andalucía” together with the Andalusian Universities have designed an Extracurricular Enrichment Programme for High-Ability Students (hereinafter EEPHAS). This programme targets secondary and high school students, as well as students at professional training stages. The experience showed in this study is framed in the aforementioned programme. This activity is a voluntary programme where the students attend lectures and or laboratory sessions to university centres and conduct activities designed by academic staff. Divergent thinking, creativity, and enhanced complex thoughts are promoted by these educational actions, which help the students to improve their intra- and interpersonal skills.

Four members of staff from the University of Cadiz (Spain) Applied Physics Department participated in the EEPHAS during three consecutive years by organizing the workshop Introduction to Oceanography: the ocean is a great natural laboratory. The workshops were always carried out in addition to the regular school hours, during four days and comprised one hour of theory lessons and two hours of laboratory work per day. All the activities were designed to promote the student’s active participation and to encourage their autonomy during the laboratory work. A total of 40 students took part in this EEPHAS during the last three academic years (2017-2020). These students belonged to all the levels of secondary school from different educational centres emplaced in the province of Cadiz (Andalusia, Spain).

With regard to the workshop outcomes, they were evaluated through an online anonymous satisfaction survey. The lessons were successful in terms of awakening or consolidating the students’ interest towards STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. Although 90% of the students were already interested in STEM disciplines, 50% replied that the workshop had awaken their interest in Marine Sciences. STEM disciplines are based on a constructivist model of teaching and learning; therefore, the lessons were designed to achieve self-directed learning through discovery from their previous knowledge about the physical phenomena in the marine environment. Moreover, it has to be emphasized that those students who had already shown interest in Science were even more eager about the scientific career after participating in the EEPHAS. In fact, these students took the opportunity to ask about their doubts regarding specific STEM degrees.

Finally, both the students and their families were pleased with the programme. Families pointed out that these initiatives help the students to go in depth in the knowledge of subjects not included in the regular curriculum. Moreover, the intellectual challenge entailed by the workshop also contributed to the improvement of the students’ behaviour in comparison with the regular lessons.

Keywords:

High-ability students, secondary school, STEM, science education, physical oceanography.