CHANGE THE SUBJECT - SCIENCE:Finding the time to creqate clasroom resources can be a sticky issue for some science teachers but help is at hand.
FOR SOME, science subjects are beyond the realms of being interesting or fun. Yet the subjects' practical nature means that TY students could potentially get involved in all sorts of fascinating projects.
Until now it was up to innovative teachers in schools to come up with their own ideas for TY science. However, the Second Level Support Service (SLSS) is now offering a wide range of new resources for teachers.
"There is nothing else like this for science teachers," explains course designer, Anna M Walsh. "Teachers pretty much have an open brief in TY but finding the time to create resources can be difficult. I have tried to combine solid scientific education with the personal development aims of the year. So far the response has been very positive. There are several different resource projects available and the SLSS is also providing one-day workshops nationwide for interested teachers."
One such resource is the egg-drop challenge. This is a practical experiment where students are put in groups and have to figure out a way to drop a raw egg from the first floor of a building without breaking it. "They are given some limited equipment including a newspaper, some string and some Sellotape," says Walsh. "The activity tests their engineering skills while also promoting teamwork in the process."
The "laser maze" is less science and more a game of strategy, but teachers can use the activity as an introduction into a class on laser technology. Students are put in groups once more with an ankle-level laser beam set up in the classroom. If the beam is broken at any point, the alarm goes off. The object is to try to get your team across a maze blindfolded without touching the laser.
Other resources follow more traditional methods. Medical Physics, for example, is a powerpoint presentation which explains how scanning techniques - PET scans, MRI scans etc - are used in modern medicine.
The presentation is animated, with a full script explaining how the procedures work. "It is designed to be student friendly," says Walsh. "There are small quizzes throughout, which stop the presentation at various points. This way, it is broken up and is not all about looking up at a screen, which can get very boring. It has been well received by teachers across the board."
The Einstein Challenge, for example, is a PowerPoint presentation specifically designed so that teachers don't need any prior knowledge of Albert Einstein. All is laid out clearly and there are handouts to give to students and a quiz based on the presentation. "The intention of this resource is to expose students to some of the more stimulating aspects of physics that they wouldn't normally experience unless they went on to third level," says Walsh.
"Einstein's theories are some of the most important and fascinating in physics. Students learn about how he explained time and the possibilities of time travel, a subject that always sets kids' imaginations alight."
Other activities are available to teachers who wish to spice up their TY science classes. Most of them are designed to fit into one teaching unit (ie, one class) to enable maximum flexibility. "TY is different for each school," says Walsh. "With some schools doing blocks of science in one term and others spreading it out over the year, there can be a variety of time constraints. So it has all been designed to be very flexible."
All the resources are free.
Anyone interested in SLSS should contact Mary Sorohan in the SLSS, Blackrock Education Centre, Dublin, tel: 01-2365023, or e-mail ty@blackrockec.ie
