Visit Zone Teacher Guidance


1. Introducing the activity

What is the Visit Zone?

Read the text in the box below to your students to brief them about the activity.
It may help to display the website

The Visit Zone in I’m a Scientist is an activity where you connect online with staff at the [your Science Centre].
The zone has three sections: Ask, Chat and Vote.

Chat — As a class, we will have a 40 minute live-chat with some of the centre staff about the exhibits. It’s all text-based, and you can ask them any questions you like. You can see which exhibits have signed up for your chat on your dashboard. 

Ask— You can ask whatever you like. Send your questions any time and, if you leave an email address, you’ll get an email when you’ve been answered. Questions and answers stay on the site so have a look around and see what others have asked.

Vote — You decide which exhibit wins! Vote for your favourite!

You can log in outside of school to send more questions.

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2. How to book live chats

Teacher dashboard


Get students online 

You can either print off a sheet of login details, or give students a registration URL 

Book your live chats 

Live chats are consistently the most popular part of the activity– for students, for staff, and even for teachers!

On your dashboard, use the Book Your Live Chat button to go to the booking page. After clicking Confirm Booking, you will get a confirmation email with the next steps.


Pre-Chat checklist

Before your first live chat, you will need to:

    • Book IT suite/provide internet access for students.
    • Ask your IT department to add the URLs on this page to your school network whitelist
    • Test the chat. Go to the staffroom, between 9-5 any day during term-time. It’s a good idea to use a student account, on a student computer, for the test (especially if your computer has different security settings).

Introductory lesson before your Chat

We recommend one introductory lesson before your Chat session.
Students should read all the profiles from their centre and think about what questions they might like to ask.

In groups or as a class, they can discuss the interesting things they’ve found out and maybe do some extra research before their live chat.

It’s a good idea for students to plan 2 or 3 questions each for their live chat session, which they can use as conversation starters.

Taking part in live Chats

  • At the time of your chat, you and your students need to click the ‘Chat’ button on the top of your dashboard.
  • A moderator will have set the chat up for you.
  • Only students in your class can access your booked chat. If you have any issues joining the chat call us ASAP on 01225 326892.

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3. Supporting the Science Capital Teaching Approach

I’m a Scientist helps you to use the Science Capital Teaching Approach with your class. This approach is designed to support teachers in helping students find more meaning and relevance in science and, as a result, engage more with the subject. 

The approach consists of three main pillars, all of which can be supported using the I’m a Scientist activity.

  1. Personalising and localising: Going beyond contextualising, to connect to the actual experiences, understandings, attitudes and interests of young people.
  2. Eliciting-valuing-linking: Inviting students to share knowledge, attitudes and experiences; recognising these as having value; and connecting this back to the science.
  3. Building the dimensions of science capital: Considering the eight dimensions when developing activities, lessons or programmes.

The ideas for the Science Capital Teaching Approach were co-developed and trialled over four years between UCL researchers and 43 secondary science teachers in England. More information.

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4. Further activities

  • Go through the transcript with your class (download this after your chat ends)
  • Review questions asked by your students

We asked teachers what tips they would give to a teacher taking part in I’m a Scientist for the first time.

Here are the most common answers:

  1. Spend more time preparing students
    Students can read through the exhibit profiles and think of questions, before their chat.
    “We have just had our live chat. It was the best yet I think, because we had spent much more time on preliminary activities so we had loads of questions to ask.”
  2. Involve more students
  3. Encourage students to be creative with their questions
    There are better ways to use the activity than using the questions as Google!

5. Contact

If you need any help please email teachers@iasuk.ddev.site or call 01225 326892.

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About the I’m a Scientist project