Memes, Sounds, and Science: Engaging Students Through Digital Culture
The digital world is constantly evolving, and it shapes how we interact, learn, and teach. As educators, we must navigate both opportunities and challenges within digital culture. My goal is to integrate digital culture in a way that enhances student learning, while still promoting critical thinking and digital literacy.
A simple, but effective way of engaging students is by including memes and trending sound bites into lessons. Memes and sound bites are powerful communication tools. They have the ability to condense complex ideas into easily digestible, recognizable images and often provoke an emotion or idea. Studies have even shown that memes can enhance student engagement and retention of material (study on educational memes).
Whether used as icebreakers, discussion starters, or ways to reinforce key concepts, they help make learning more relatable and memorable. They can also be a great way to build connections with students, creating a more dynamic and engaging classroom environment. Here are a few examples of science-related memes and Tiktoks that I have incorporated:
@iflscience Germs when I drop food on the floor 🍕🦠 #animationmeme #science #comedy #funnyvideos #science
@achieversdream #Chemistry#singapore#fyp#organicchemistry#chemistrymemes#education#chemistrystudent#relatable #chemistrylab😂
♬ original sound – Achievers Dream Chemistry – Achievers Dream Chemistry
@chemedits “nah i’d win” – average equilibrium problem #genchem #chemistryclass #chemistrytest #premed #chemistryteacher
I’d love it if you could share how you have included digital culture into your classroom!
This is a great idea, who doesn’t love a good meme. I feel like that is all I use social media for these days is finding good memes. Now I need to follow your lead and add them to my teaching. My PowerPoints are going to get a whole lot more interesting. Thanks for sharing this idea.
I have never used memes in my class, not until I started this program around last year. However, I love the idea of using memes as an icebreaker (I can imagine having a discussion in my class using the third meme on games—me—study). I think it is also time-consuming looking for memes that relay the message you intend to pass across.
This is another good learning curve for me. Thanks for sharing
They’re really fun! And the students usually laugh or groan, but never in a negative way. Either way, I have gained their interest and usually increased rapport.
Usually, I just Google whatever topic I want and include the world “meme” or “gif” and find something I am looking for. However, here are a couple websites where you can create your own memes.
https://www.canva.com/create/memes/
https://www.kapwing.com/meme-maker
Some of these gave me a pretty good laugh. Memes are like the hieroglyphics of our time. I agree that we need to stay on top of digital culture and infuse it into our lessons (in an educational way when/where possible). It’s both necessary….and sometimes exhausting.
I try to keep up with “brain rot” lingo – not just to relate to students, but also to make sure I know when something isn’t school-appropriate. I think of it like my homework. It always makes me laugh how shocked they are when I’m ahead of the curve on certain terms.
My classroom is full of memes – from our hand-in bind to our missed work folders. When I don’t have to use division-mandated rubrics, I switch the 4-point scale to student-friendly language. I’ve found that incorporating TikTok and Insta reels as hooks makes a huge difference in student engagement. We need to meet students where they are, and where they are in the digital world.
Honestly, I really like keeping up with the brain rot lingo lol! I find some of it so ridiculous that it becomes humourous. And I think back to my own youth and remember the silly slang words we would say then, too – and we turned out ok 😂!
I really like that you incorporate TikToks and Reels as hooks to engage students. They’re quick and can help build connections with the students and get them excited to come to class!
This is something I should try to bring into my days more. Creating memes could even be a fun assignment for students! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
According to me, memes are a great way to provide deep knowledge in a few lines.