| |
|
| |
|
|
....................................................
|
|
|
|
| |
A teacher who once thought about giving up on Science embarks on a personal and professional journey, and finds himself loving the subject.
I begin with this quote as I thought it succinctly put across my feelings about Science making sense in a world that oftentimes doesn’t!
Faring badly in the Sciences whilst in school, I focused on language and the humanities with the belief that I was just “not cut out for Science” (something a teacher once told me). To me, Science was not an adventure; and imagination only gave me lower grades!
Battling Apathy
Today, I am attached to the Singapore Science Centre promoting Science, of all things! I love Science and am passionate about its promotion even though I majored in Geography in NIE. I am amazed by the turn of events especially when my passion was once almost doused by my own teachers! Now I firmly believe in the philosophy of Science, and that scientific inquiry is innate in all human beings. Just observe any baby, precocious and utterly inquisitive about the world, and you can just see his or her desire to figure things out. That’s Science!
|
| At the Singapore Science Centre, children explore science in fun ways - such as taking things apart to find out how they work. |
|
In the Singapore Science Centre, I’m in the middle of a ‘battle’ to promote Science education, awareness and appreciation. I use the word ‘battle’ because it truly appears daunting, given the general apathy and pragmatism I see in many pupils. Even while I was teaching, I often lamented that pupils’ motivation to learn is mostly extrinsic, and for whom science enrichment is considered a waste of time. I’m sure you can relate to this oft-posed question, “’cher, will this come out for exams?” That’s why I feel that the Science Centre’s role is crucial in not just communicating knowledge, but also imbuing the passion of learning in our students.
The Paths Lie Ahead
In the Science Centre, I’m involved with just about all things educational, which include revamping current lessons, developing new ones and holding sharing sessions with educators. What impressed me was the “Kaizen” mentality, which translates into a continual improving of its programmes. Efforts are currently underway to look into infusing elements of ‘Teach Less, Learn More’ (TLLM) and Authentic Problem-Based Learning (APBL) into current lessons and into self-directed ‘Gallery Pathways’. The latter gives teachers opportunities to be empowered with the necessary materials and resources to conduct an investigative, problem-based lesson in the galleries.
In a similar vein, I’m also involved in crafting some SEED-based lessons to meet the needs of the younger learners. Thus, teachers can look forward to more seamless integration of lessons and exhibits.
|
| The Colour Splash station during Mindfest 2006, where students learnt about colour mixing by spraying paint with water guns and syringes. |
|
I believe another widely acknowledged strength of the Singapore Science Centre is its many events and large-scale programmes, some of which I had the privilege to be involved in. In March 2006, an event known as ‘Mindfest’ was held to provide a platform for an unbridled exploration of science through fun and play. There were many stations, such as ‘Blast-off’, where pupils made rockets out of foot pumps and plastic bottles, and “Colour-splash” where pupils learned about colour mixing through squirting paint onto paper using water guns! I learnt valuable lessons by observing the planning and execution processes, as well as having the opportunity to judge the presentations and products.
Teachers Try These
There were events for Science teachers as well! An upcoming one, which I’m involved in, is “The Iron Science Teacher” coming in November. Adapted from “Iron Chef”, a popular cooking competition in Japan, Science teachers have the chance to highlight their ingenuity and showmanship by ‘performing’ scientific experiments on the spot. For the passionate Science aficionados, there’s ‘Science in the Café’ where, given a theme and a relevant invited expert, people can talk and breathe Science in a cosy, café setting.
Here, at the Science Centre, I learnt that nothing is impossible. Instead, the response is usually “hmmm, that’s tough but it’s worth a try!” This has been the greatest inspiration to me as an educator. This paradigm shift essentially taught me to probe and even break certain mental boundaries about how Science would, or could be taught. It spurred me to think big about new education platforms which will benefit our students.
My stint so far in the Singapore Science Centre has been a fantastic learning journey; it has been a wonderful “imaginative adventure”.
|
National Junior Robotics participants checking out the competition. |
|
|
|
Participants holding their breadth as their robot balances on a tightrope. |
|
|
|
|
|
