This needs to be said again, and again. Science is not about working models. Science is not about making posters and charts. Teachers and parents have conspired to take this convenient short-cut and spread the idea that making look-alike models is doing science. This is absolutely not true.
Recently, we had a science expo where students were suppose to demonstrate experiments. As expected most students got zealously down to making models and charts. Some went high-tech with electronics, robotics and building circuits with flashing lights.
My class (age 10-11) decided that there will no models or printed charts from the internet. On the contrary, we decided to do interesting cognitive experiments on people to show how brain works. By doing some simple, tricky experiments on the students, I convinced the class that this was exciting and interesting.
We actually planned to do measurements on the people - how fast is their response, how does our taste-buds work, what is the highest frequency sound your ear can here, how long it takes to replenish the photosensitive pigments in the eye.
We could put-up almost two dozen such experiments. Kids were super excited about experimenting with adults - parents - who visited their stalls.
Later on I heard from multiple people that of all the projects, my class students were most animated and excited to do the experiments and explain the results.
So contrary to current fashion of creating models, real science can be done through simple and thought-provoking experiments. What's more, I find that students enjoy these even better.
Recently, we had a science expo where students were suppose to demonstrate experiments. As expected most students got zealously down to making models and charts. Some went high-tech with electronics, robotics and building circuits with flashing lights.
My class (age 10-11) decided that there will no models or printed charts from the internet. On the contrary, we decided to do interesting cognitive experiments on people to show how brain works. By doing some simple, tricky experiments on the students, I convinced the class that this was exciting and interesting.
We actually planned to do measurements on the people - how fast is their response, how does our taste-buds work, what is the highest frequency sound your ear can here, how long it takes to replenish the photosensitive pigments in the eye.
We could put-up almost two dozen such experiments. Kids were super excited about experimenting with adults - parents - who visited their stalls.
Later on I heard from multiple people that of all the projects, my class students were most animated and excited to do the experiments and explain the results.
So contrary to current fashion of creating models, real science can be done through simple and thought-provoking experiments. What's more, I find that students enjoy these even better.
