In order to innovate
“ People don’t
have to be different but they just need to think differently “
For
understanding principles and concepts of Science , relying on
conventional science teaching approach with focus on textbook learning is not a
good idea for 21st century learner and
educational system . It promotes rote - learning , creates disinterest among
learners and proves that our science
pedagogy is not strong enough to develop
skills which are required to make
our learners have a stand in global scenario
. As a result though we have a largest number of engineer graduates
but not actual engineers .
STEM
education is the buzzword these days . Expanding this we have SCIENCE , TECHNOLOGY ,
ENGINEERING and MATHEMATICS all
integrated and gives us new goals and objectives to be worked upon by us as educators for our learners . But
reality check is different . Still learners could not relate classroom studied
science concepts with their daily life experiences . Although students
tend to enter school with a natural tendency for scientific questioning ,
observation and wonderment , conventional and outdated science teaching stifles
their natural curiosity and refrain them from asking basic questions of Science : What , Why and How ?
Having
such a disheartening situation in science education , we need to gear up and redesign
, rethink and revive our pedagogies in science teaching .As educators before planning for the
lesson plan , clarity about the immediate environment and interests of a child is
foremost important and we all know games , toys , cartoons etc are a part of
child's world . So why not we base our teaching on such tools .
Looking
around us we can have many examples of such educational tools but I selected
two of the traditional one : Dippy Bird and Spinning Top . As Science teacher , we can use them as educational tools developing
understanding about various science concepts using mode of inquiry method ,
project based learning( PBL ) and
thereby creating a scientific temperament , inquisitiveness , exploration among
students .
So Lets
explore Science through Dippy Bird and
Spinning Top
1. Dippy Bird
The drinking
bird or
sippy bird is a popular science toy that features a glass bird that repeatedly
dips its beak into water. The earliest version of the device appears to have
produced in China circa 1910-1930
Working :
The goop in his abdomen is methylene chloride,
which has a very low boiling
point, and therefore evaporates quickly. At room temperature, one or two degrees
temperature difference causes the bright red chemical to climb to his head.
Suddenly top heavy, he falls over. The felt head, soaked in the water from the
cup, cools the methylene chloride, and it drains back to the bottom. The bird
rights itself, and it starts all over again .
·
boiling and condensation [dichloromethane
has a low boiling point of 39.6 °C (103.28 °F)]
·
combined gas laws ( proportional relationship between
the pressure and temperature of a gas in a constant volume) .Ideal gas law (proportional
relationship between the number of particles of a gas and the pressure in a
constant volume) , torque, center of mass, capillary action (wicking
of water into the felt)
·
the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, heat of vaporization /
heat of condensation
Educational Concepts
Gas laws , Centre of Mass , Boiling , Condensation ,
Capillary Action etc .
|
2.Spinning Top or Lattoo defying
the gravity !
Another simple yet challenging toy is Spinning top or lattoo
demonstrates beautifully very important concepts of Physics like Angular
Momentum and its conservation , Moment of Inertia , Torque , Friction , Weight
, Precession etc .
How a spinning top "magically" resists the force of
gravity. Why don't a spinning top fall over ? These are the questions which
arise when we start thinking about its working . Its just not a
toy but a thesis can be written on it researching various factors on
which its working depends .
Its tendency to defy gravity while
spinning makes it unique . If spun fast enough, a spinning top will rise to a
vertical position and happily stays there, despite the fact that it will fall
over if it stops spinning.
There are many forms and shapes of spinning tops, and we can put
them into motion in various interesting ways. Some are spun by snap-twisting a
center stem with your fingers and releasing, while the top remains on the
ground. Others are held by a support at the top while a cord wound around the
top is pulled to spin it.
When it is first launched and spinning its
fastest, the top is most nearly vertical and stable in its spin. As it begins
to slow down, its precession becomes more pronounced and its tilt angle off of
vertical increases.
Educational Concepts
Concepts of Rotational
Dynamics like Conservation of Angular Momentum , Moment of Inertia , Torque ,
Angular Velocity and last but very important Precession .
|
We are living in
digital world , Children are tech savvy using various apps , social networking
websites ,tinkering with sensors , engage in virtual world , gathering lot of
information at a single click . They don’t have time now to play outdoors on
street or in parks . games like Ludo , Chess are losing their charm in fron t of new glamorous computer games like
candy crush etc . Onus is on teachers in
selecting right kind of learning experiences for today’s learners . Its range can
be from highly tech educational tools to non digitalized indigenous version
like toys , games etc .
It is not necessary
that teaching with toys and games can be just limited to junior classes but our
senior level science concepts can
also be taken through Toyology :
Science learning through Toy . Even today’s STEM learning ; explaining various
STEM concepts can very well be
associated with it .
In traditional formal education, students
typically learn in a didactic manner, that is, taking notes within a classroom lecture setting. Contemporary
educational research indicates that such a
passive environment is not effective and results in limited retention of
knowledge
by students
(Prince, 2004). Active learning is an instructional methodology that engages
students in the learning process to improve the results of the
process (Bruner, 1961). Active learning is a multifaceted and directional approach where
various interactions are welcomed (e.g.,
teacher-to-student, student-to-teacher,and student – to – student ) (Grabinger & Dunlap, 2000).
Teaching Science through toys foster active learning in which a
child is developing higher level thinking skills , problem solving , a positive attitude towards the subject and
above all motivation to learn which is the ultimate aim for any science
educator
so why do we limit our self as
science teacher and rely on only chalk and talk . Explore science through Toys
and games by bringing it to our classrooms ensuring active learning of our
learners .
References :
3.Active Learning Through Toy Design and Development by
Arif Sirinterlikci ,Linda Zane , and Alee L. Sirinterlikci
No comments:
Post a Comment