This activity brought together students from the SLIFE (Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education) sheltered environmental science class and an Integrated Services class for a collaborative learning experience.

During the lesson, SLIFE students enhanced their English language skills by guiding Integrated Services students through a hands-on experiment using the scientific method. This partnership fostered both language development and scientific exploration, creating a meaningful and engaging learning environment for all participants.

Facilitating this lesson was a rewarding experience, as it blended science, language development, and collaboration in a truly meaningful way. Watching the SLIFE students take on leadership roles—explaining the experiment, guiding their peers, and reinforcing their own English skills in the process—was inspiring. Their confidence grew with each interaction, and it was evident that this hands-on approach made learning more engaging for them.

The lesson focused on key scientific and critical thinking skills, including observation, prediction, data collection, and analysis. Students practiced communication, collaboration, and problem-solving while following step-by-step procedures and recording their findings. The hypothesis students tested was whether UV-sensitive beads would change color at different rates under various types of light sources, such as sunlight, incandescent bulbs, and LED lights.

For the Integrated Services students, this activity provided a structured yet exploratory environment where they could actively participate in scientific inquiry. The UV bead experiment was a simple yet powerful way to illustrate the scientific method, encouraging curiosity and problem-solving. Seeing students from different backgrounds work together, communicate, and support each other highlighted the value of inclusive learning experiences.

From an instructional technology perspective, this lesson underscored the importance of interactive, student-driven learning. Integrating technology to support language acquisition and scientific exploration can further enhance these experiences in the future. Moving forward, we hope to incorporate more digital tools to document findings and encourage deeper analysis.

Overall, this collaboration was a reminder that learning is most powerful when students are actively engaged, empowered, and working together.