šŸ’” Top tips for running a Chat

Letting classes loose on an online Chat platform might sound daunting to some. It takes trust that students will make full use of the opportunity, but weā€™re confident that the activity will engage your students1.

Our team of DBS-checked moderators are always on hand – youā€™ll see at least one of them in every Chat. They keep Chats running smoothly and help us make sure students take part safely and appropriately.

All teachers have access to moderation tools, but we want to share some top tips from our experience too. Weā€™ve put together 3 ways you can support your students to get the most out of their I’m a Scientist Chat.


1. Praise studentsā€™ questions šŸŒŸ

When teachers, moderators, and scientists praise studentsā€™ questions, they are more engaged. Students feel their questions are valued.

Highlighting a studentā€™s message reassures them in asking more, and encourages their peers to do the same. After some hints and encouragement from moderators and scientists, Frithwood Academyā€™s teacher was pleased to see their excitable Year 6 class so engaged:


2. Let students ask the questions that interest them šŸ¤”

Keep an open mind and go with the flow – let students lead the conversation. Questions like ā€œDo you play video games?ā€ may seem off topic, but theyā€™re important in showing scientists are ā€˜normalā€™ people. Thatā€™s why our moderators donā€™t delete ā€˜personalā€™ questions.

Students uncover areas where scientistsā€™ interests and experiences overlap with their own. This supports their science capital2. Valuing and linking their interests to people and topics in science helps students to relate and see STEM as something ā€˜for themā€™. Find out how Chats support science capitalĀ āÆ


3. Add to the conversation šŸŽ“

Join in and ask questions yourself too! Model to your students what you expect from them. Encourage students to find out more by replying to answers to their questions:

Ask questions to spark conversations – scientistsā€™ responses often catch studentsā€™ interest, or give them inspiration to ask about something related.


  1. Recent evaluation found that 89% of students actively engaged with the activity, 70% of which were at priority schools.
  2. Research demonstrates that the Iā€™m a Scientist activity aligns with the Science Capital Teaching Approach and supports science capital-related outcomes.

Posted on February 21, 2025 by modjamie in Teacher. Tagged , , . Comments Off on šŸ’” Top tips for running a Chat