Getting kids excited about science

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Getting kids excited about science

• Your Planet Earth is a new programme to take
  basic science into schools, using major themes in
  the earth sciences

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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
  science-based jobs

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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

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Whats 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!)

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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

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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

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Long-term value for you

• Presenting science to kids is a great way to
  learn a subject yourself
• 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
• Your institution/ department may decide to
  provide credit points or certification of
  proficiency - in any case, this kind of
  experience is good on your c.v.

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It really isnt so difficult

• Kids are keen to learn

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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 cant 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 cant elephants really gallop and why could
  the sauropod dinosaur Diplodocus only walk?

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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 - its worth talking
  about yourself and your aspirations, and the
  kinds of careers open to scientists this is
  probably less interesting to younger age groups

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How to do it

• Well look at five aspects of presenting a
  successful science show in a school
• Preparing the show
• Preparing the school
• Preparing yourself
• Delivery
• Follow-up
• Youll then be set an exercise and will accompany
  someone experienced on your first school visits.

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1. Preparing the show

• You may use an existing teaching module (such as
  those available at http//www.earth4567.com)
• You may be asked to modify the material
• Check exactly what is to be presented, and make
  sure you have any necessary additional materials
  - kids love to handle real rocks, fossils and
  minerals, or see experiments - but dont plan
  anything too elaborate - it will probably go
  wrong!

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2. Preparing the school

• You may be given a contact and a time that has
  already been arranged
• Call the teacher contact in the school and find
  out what the class has already done in the topic
  area
• If there is time, see whether the kids can be
  sent work sheets or some activity to carry out
  before you arrive - if they have already done
  some reading, worksheets, or model-making they
  will be keyed up for your presentation

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3. Preparing yourself I

• It is often said that you should spend ten times
  as long in preparation as in delivery (i.e.10
  hours before a 1-hour presentation)
• If you use the prepared talks, this saves time,
  but you must spend enough time (a few hours)
  reading through and checking information so you
  are fluent and in command of the topic
• Practice live if you possibly can, so you get
  timings right - its very common to think you can
  cover five hours of material in one hour

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3. Preparing yourself II

• People usually spend too long worrying about how
  they look and whether they will embarrass
  themselves
• This is much, much less important than being
  properly prepared and being on top of the subject
• It is far more constructive to think about the
  audience before you start - how many will there
  be, what do they know, what is likely to interest
  them?

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3. Preparing yourself III

• Be prepared to talk in a conversational way, and
  direct to the kids look at them, and walk about
• Be prepared to pace the talk and allow plenty of
  time for questions and extra explanations
• Dont even think about reading your presentation
  to the kids - sheets of paper or cards are an
  added confusion for you, and a disaster for them.
  The story is on the Ppt and the included script
  - just use those
• If you are too nervous to fly without cards, you
  should think seriously about whether this is for
  you or not

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3. Preparing yourself IV

• The best preparation is to attend two or three
  sessions given by a colleague who is already
  experienced
• Watch carefully how they engage the kids, and how
  they pace the show
• You can practice by presenting a segment of the
  show on your first and second outings

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4. Delivery

• The key thing is to keep the kids engaged
  throughout
• If they are bored they will talk, fidget, walk
  about - this must never happen
• If you see signs of boredom, dont just soldier
  on according to the script switch pace, jump
  ahead, get them to answer a question, and make
  sure they are enthralled again
• Its best to deliver the material in short bursts
  of five minutes or so, and then pause to ask
  questions or set an activity

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5. 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 theyd 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

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The practice session (1)

• Each trainee should present a 5-minute segment of
  a science show
• You can work through one of the prepared talks,
  or prepare something from scratch
• The instructor should organise a room where the
  practice session runs - other students make up
  the audience of kids
• This session can happen a few days after the
  introduction, or it can follow right after, if
  students have been given prior warning

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The practice session (2)

• The course instructor should assess each trainee
  for their ability, asking these kinds of
  questions
• Does the trainee presenter engage the audience?
• Is the level and pace right?
• Does the trainee lose the thread/ seem poorly
  prepared?
• Does the trainee project themselves - relate
  topics to their own experience?
• Does the trainee get good audience participation?
• The instructor will offer feedback (verbal or
  written) to each trainee, and make a decision
  about any who may not be suitable for approval to
  participate

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Whats next?

• Once you have completed the training course, and
  have passed the practical exam, you are ready to
  go on the road
• You should be sent with an experienced presenter
  for the first two or three sessions
• Make sure you are encouraged to participate and
  take over some segments of the presentation
• Then youre on your own as a trained presenter
• Your Department may give you some certification
  to recognise the achievement - this is an
  achievement that ought to go in your CV

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Enjoy

• Lets hope this is how your audience looks at
  the end of the show