Date: Saturday, 4 July 2026
Venue: South Asian Science Education Programme (SASEP 2026), Paro, Bhutan
Participant: Ugyen Dorji, Babesa Higher Secondary School, Bhutan
Group: C
Session 3 (9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.)
Module 1
Building Learner-Centred Classrooms through Concept-Based Teaching
Facilitator: Dr. Avis Beek (Canada)
The second day began with one of the most inspiring sessions of the programme. Dr. Avis Beek introduced the philosophy of concept-based curriculum and instruction, emphasizing that education should move beyond memorization of facts towards helping learners understand transferable concepts that can be applied across disciplines and real-life situations.
She began by presenting the learning objectives of the session, which included understanding learner-centred environments, designing concept-based lessons, developing inquiry-based questions, creating a culture of thinking, and integrating interdisciplinary pedagogical strategies into classroom practice.
Developing Learner-Centred Environments
Dr. Beek explained that effective classrooms are not teacher-centred but learner-centred. In such environments students become active participants who:
take ownership of their learning,
think critically,
collaborate to solve authentic problems,
become self-directed learners,
develop resilience,
reflect on their learning,
and build respectful relationships with teachers and peers.
She stressed that teachers should become facilitators who guide learning rather than simply deliver information.
One memorable quotation shared during the session was:
"Excellence in education is when we do everything we can to make sure students become everything they can." — Carol Ann Tomlinson
This message strongly resonated with the overall philosophy of SASEP.
Concept-Based Curriculum
A major focus of the session was understanding the difference between facts, topics, and concepts.
Dr. Beek explained that:
Facts are specific pieces of information.
Topics organize factual knowledge.
Concepts are broad, transferable ideas that connect learning across subjects.
Using examples from Physics, Chemistry and Biology, she demonstrated how a single scientific topic could be explored through larger concepts such as:
Systems
Energy
Equilibrium
Movement
Force
Change
Relationships
Interdependence
Rather than asking students merely to remember formulas or definitions, teachers should encourage them to discover patterns and relationships that remain applicable in new contexts.
Conceptual Lenses
Participants were introduced to a rich collection of conceptual lenses including:
Change
Relationships
Systems
Balance
Structure
Function
Perspective
Identity
Communication
Transformation
Interdependence
Innovation
Creativity
Working in groups, participants examined photographs and identified multiple concepts represented within each image. This activity demonstrated that a single visual stimulus can generate many conceptual interpretations depending on the learner's perspective.
Building Inquiry through Questions
An important part of the workshop focused on crafting powerful inquiry questions.
Dr. Beek distinguished between three types of questions:
Factual Questions
Conceptual Questions
Debatable Questions
Rather than asking:
"What is photosynthesis?"
teachers were encouraged to ask questions such as:
"How does change in one part of an ecosystem influence the balance of the whole system?"
These conceptual questions encourage students to think deeply, justify their reasoning and transfer their understanding to unfamiliar situations.
Structure of Knowledge
Participants explored the Structure of Knowledge Model, consisting of:
Facts
Topics
Concepts
Generalizations
Guiding Questions
In collaborative groups, we designed conceptual frameworks for different curriculum topics by identifying the relationship between these components. This exercise demonstrated how lesson planning can shift from content coverage towards conceptual understanding.
Thinking Classrooms
Dr. Beek also introduced ideas inspired by Peter Liljedahl's Building Thinking Classrooms.
Strategies included:
visibly random grouping,
working at vertical whiteboards,
solving rich problems collaboratively,
encouraging productive struggle,
reducing teacher explanations,
increasing student thinking time.
A quotation from Peter Liljedahl summarized the philosophy perfectly:
"Thinking is a necessary precursor to learning, and if students are not thinking, they are not learning."
This statement reinforced the importance of designing lessons that prioritize student thinking over teacher talk.
The 5E Instructional Model
The session revisited the 5E Instructional Model (Bybee, 2006), which consists of:
Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
Dr. Beek presented research showing that the model:
improves academic achievement,
strengthens long-term retention,
addresses misconceptions,
promotes higher-order thinking,
and increases student motivation.
Participants also explored how the 5E model could be integrated with topics such as Bird Beaks and Natural Selection, illustrating how inquiry-based science lessons can be structured around conceptual understanding.
Classroom Community
Another valuable discussion centred on community building in the classroom.
Dr. Beek emphasized that strong classroom communities:
improve academic performance,
increase motivation,
strengthen critical inquiry,
foster trust,
support mental wellbeing,
and encourage collaborative learning.
Simple activities under the theme "Me, You, Us" demonstrated practical strategies for creating inclusive learning communities.
Session 4 (1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.)
Module 6
The afternoon session focused on broadening instructional practices and developing educational experiences that nurture curiosity, creativity and interdisciplinary thinking. Group discussions and collaborative activities encouraged participants to connect scientific knowledge with real-world challenges through project-based learning and authentic inquiry.
Participants explored the characteristics of effective teachers, emphasizing that educators should:
inspire learners,
listen actively,
teach values,
encourage student voice,
cultivate curiosity,
promote growth mindsets,
and continuously learn themselves.
The facilitator also highlighted that meaningful education requires balancing challenge with support so that learners are encouraged to think deeply, question assumptions, take responsible risks and contribute positively to society.
Several examples of SDG Project-Based Learning were shared, illustrating how sustainability issues can become authentic contexts for interdisciplinary learning. Teachers worked collaboratively to design project ideas aligned with Sustainable Development Goals while incorporating inquiry, reflection, student agency and public action.
Throughout the session, repeated emphasis was placed on developing learners who are:
reflective,
caring,
principled,
knowledgeable,
communicators,
risk-takers,
balanced,
and internationally minded.
These attributes closely aligned with both international educational frameworks and Bhutan's vision of holistic education.
CERN Cloud Chamber Workshop (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.)
Facilitator:
Adelina Lintuluoto (CERN)
The final session of the day was a fascinating workshop on Particle Physics, titled "Seeing the Invisible through Particle Physics."
Adelina introduced participants to the fascinating world of subatomic particles and explained how physicists investigate matter at the smallest scales.
Topics included:
the Standard Model of Particle Physics,
quarks,
leptons,
gauge bosons,
the Higgs Boson,
and the four fundamental forces of nature.
She explained CERN's role as the world's leading particle physics laboratory and described how enormous particle accelerators allow scientists to study particles that cannot be observed directly.
One of the highlights was learning about the Cloud Chamber, a simple yet powerful detector that makes otherwise invisible charged particles visible through condensation trails. The workshop beautifully demonstrated how sophisticated scientific discoveries can be communicated through relatively simple educational apparatus suitable for classroom demonstrations.
The session concluded by reinforcing the importance of making abstract physics concepts accessible through visualization, experimentation and inquiry.
Personal Reflection
The second day of SASEP 2026 profoundly influenced my perspective on teaching and learning. The sessions shifted my thinking from teaching content to cultivating understanding. I realized that true education is not measured by how much information students can recall but by how effectively they can connect ideas, ask meaningful questions, and apply knowledge to unfamiliar situations.
As a Physics teacher at Babesa Higher Secondary School, I see tremendous potential in incorporating concept-based curriculum design, learner-centred pedagogy, inquiry-driven questioning and the 5E instructional model into my own classroom. Strategies such as visibly random grouping, collaborative problem solving, vertical whiteboards and authentic project-based learning can significantly increase student engagement and deepen conceptual understanding.
The CERN workshop further reminded me that even the most advanced scientific concepts can be taught effectively when abstract ideas are supported with demonstrations, models and hands-on experiences. Introducing learners to modern physics through cloud chambers and discussions of the Standard Model can inspire curiosity and help students appreciate the dynamic nature of scientific discovery.
Overall, Day 2 reinforced a central message that will continue to guide my teaching practice: effective science education is not about transmitting facts but about creating environments where learners actively think, inquire, collaborate and construct lasting understanding.
