Monte Sinai Hebrew School is one of the longest-established private educational institutions in Mexico City’s Jewish-Mexican community. Its vision is centered on 21st-century global education, incorporating active learning methods and the International Baccalaureate. We spoke with Juan Manuel Sánchez Parra, a Biology teacher, about the challenges of science education and how Science Bits has supported both teachers and students at his school.

Which courses or grades have you used Science Bits with?

We’ve been using it for two and a half years in Science 1, with an emphasis on Biology, in the first year of middle school.

What improvements have you noticed in your classes since using Science Bits?

The main change we have seen in students is their motivation, as they are able to carry out virtual experiments in simulated environments and use interactive activities in which they experiment with real-world situations themselves.

What do you think are Science Bits’ main strengths as an educational resource for teaching science?

Science Bits’ main strengths lie in the variety of resources it offers to achieve the same learning objective, giving students different ways of approaching and understanding the material. Another strength is the depth of its assessments, which makes it possible to differentiate instruction according to students’ level of achievement. Also, the assessment approach helps students transfer their knowledge rather than simply memorize it. The assessment-management tools for teachers and the ability to keep track of submissions make it a very comprehensive platform.

What are the advantages or benefits of using Science Bits compared with the textbooks or traditional resources you have used in the past?

1. Interactive activities that allow students to experiment.
2. Different difficulty levels, making it possible to personalize the subject matter for each student.
3. Flexibility in restructuring the content, which can be adapted as students progress.

Would you recommend using Science Bits resources? To whom and why?

I would recommend it to science teachers because it allows them to explore the content covered in their courses in greater depth and use the resources from different perspectives, making it easier to connect science with other areas of knowledge. The variety of tools it uses to help students acquire knowledge is also worth noting.

As for classroom management, teachers have greater control over the work students submit.

Do you remember any stories or experiences involving Science Bits and your students, other teachers, or families?

The main story is that the students were initially reluctant to use the platform. However, after being guided through how to use it and becoming familiar with the way the sections, exercises, and interactive activities are structured, they became fully motivated to complete all the assigned exercises.

As for parents, once we showed them that students can track their own learning and explore topics in greater depth, they began using Science Bits when their children were unable to attend class. This gives them a way to keep track of their children’s progress.