Getting kids excited about
science
CHUGD November 5th, 2007
‘Your Planet Earth’ is a new
programme to take basic science
into schools, using major themes
in the earth sciences
Aims of YPE
• Tell kids about volcanoes, global change, dinosaurs…
• Use these themes to develop analytical skills
• Get them thinking seriously about studying scientific
subjects (especially Earth sciences) at University…
• And so maintain a flow of good students into sciencebased jobs
Background
• Your Planet Earth was launched in 2007-8 as a part of
the UNESCO International Year of Planet Earth (2008)
• It is a programme developed by the Geologists’
Association, in association with the Geological Society
of London, and the Earth Science Education Unit
• The initial work in 2007-8 has been sponsored by Shell
• The powerpoints were prepared by Dr Jess Trofimovs,
a volcanologist, with close involvement from Professor
Mike Benton, a dinosaurologist, both at the University
of Bristol
What’s next?
• We have prepared talks initially for the 14-15 age
group, but will soon make versions suitable also for
the 8-9 age group as well
• We will add another 5 or 6 topics
• We will seek additional funding to produce posters
and mail shots to schools throughout the UK
• We will extend the website provision with follow-up
information, and careers and university advice
• The website [http://www.earth4567.com] is easy to
remember: 4567 Myr is the age of the Earth (more or
less!)
How does it work?
• The YPE team have produced five ppt shows about
Dinosaurs, Global change, Interior of the Earth,
Geohazards, Volcanoes
• These are available from http://www.earth4567.com
The images are all in the public domain.
• Each talk has a commentary/script built in, so you
can use the talks with confidence
• Samples…
What is a volcano?
vent
•
cone
conduit
A volcano is a vent or
'chimney' that connects
molten rock (magma)
from within the Earth’s
crust to the Earth's
surface.
• The volcano includes the
surrounding cone of
erupted material.
magma
chamber
Practical Exercise 1.
What controls the violence
of an eruption?
How fast is magma ejected
out of the volcano?
Practical Exercise 1.
What is the biggest possible size a
dinosaur could be?
• Exercises in
analytical thinking
are available as
work sheets
• Can be done as
part of the show,
or later
• Talks constructed
in 3 segments,
with practical
exercises
interspersed
Why do volunteers need
training?
• Presenting science in schools can be huge fun, but it
has to be done right
• A badly prepared or badly presented session will do
great harm
• Some people are ‘naturals’, but a few practical tips
can avoid difficulties on the day
Long-term value for students
• Presenting science to kids is a great way for students
to learn a subject
• Talking in schools is excellent preparation for all kinds
of presentations - and presentation skills are of key
importance in most graduate jobs
• Some students may find the experience useful in
deciding whether they want to go into teaching or
other educational work as a career
• The students’ institution/ department may decide to
provide credit points or certification of proficiency - in
any case, this kind of experience is good on the c.v.
It really isn’t so difficult…
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Kids are keen to learn…
How do kids learn science?
• Good ways to engage kids are to relate a scientific
idea to something familiar or to a joke
• For example, if you want to explain the concept of
safety factors in biology (small animals have
relatively higher safety factors than large animals), try
these:
– A flea can jump thirty times its body length… so, why can’t
an elephant do that?
– [In a thought experiment,] drop a cat and a cow from the roof
of the school - which one breaks its legs… and why?
– Why can’t elephants really gallop; and why could the
sauropod dinosaur Diplodocus only walk?
Engaging older kids
• You might think 14-and 15-year olds are quite scary
in large numbers
• But they can relate to a story well told: much of
science is like a detective story - you have clues,
you have a problem to solve, and you have to work
through the clues, and do some lateral thinking…
• Humour and gore can help [examples on last page]
• Career aspects are important - it’s worth talking
about yourself and your aspirations, and the kinds of
careers open to scientists [this is probably less
interesting to younger age groups]
How to do it
We stress five aspects of presenting a successful
science show in a school:
1. Preparing the show
2. Preparing the school
3. Preparing yourself
4. Delivery
5. Follow-up
Students are given a half-day training session on these
issues, and they are each asked to present a 5minute segment so the instructor can decide if they
are up to it.
Practicalities for a HoD
• A member of staff, perhaps called the Engagement/
Outreach Coordinator, ought to look after the
programme
• Student volunteers should be sought (perhaps finalyear UGs, MSc, PhD students)
• Training should be organised - either by the
coordinator or by a Set-squared trainer
• The tricky thing is finding school contacts and making
the bookings - may need some dedicated secretarial
time until a mailing list of interested teachers is built
up
Who and where?
• We suggest that HoDs encourage trained students to
take the talks back to their home schools, but also
begin to take them out to local schools
• Target appropriate teachers - Geography, Chemistry,
Physics, Biology (Geology is you’re lucky)
• Your university may have a Schools Liaison Officer
who can provide lists of schools and teachers
• At present, aimed at 14/15-year olds, so at time of
GCSE and A-level choice. Plan to extend to 8/9
year olds
Follow-up
• The teachers may have asked you to provide
worksheets or to leave specimens or other materials
• If they have not done this, ask if they’d like follow-up
activities
• Follow-up worksheets might refer the teachers and
kids to a recent article or website for further reading,
or you might have a problem sheet they can use problems can be simple numerical calculations or
debate questions
• Make sure they ask for another presentation on the
same topic, or a different topic