Make Science fun!
Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
Learning Curve: Perspective
New Sunday Times - 19-02-2012
The learning of Science is the shaping of thought processes in the quest for knowledge. And we have to make it enjoyable while we are at it
EARLY this month, President Barack Obama tested a prototype launcher -- a high-powered (get this!) "marshmallow gun" that apparently sent tasty missiles through the air to the entrance of the Red Room at the White House.
This invention, called Extreme Marshmallow Cannon, is the creation of Joe Huddy, 14.
It was on display at the White House Youth Science Fair aimed at highlighting the importance of Science and innovation.
Obama has said he would use his upcoming budget proposal to support Science and Mathematics teacher prep programmes.
Science fairs are fun -- as learning should be to be effective and captivating. Learning will be tough if the fun side is left out.
Soon it will become a chore that burdens the brain.
Ever wondered why children are attracted to video games and Information Technology (IT)? Most -- even preschool children -- manage well, mostly on their own, because they are driven by the fun of learning.
And once learnt, the knowledge will stay forever. This is what effective and captivating learning is about.
Children skip meals and sleep to do what they like and do their best!
For the non-IT inclined, think back to the time when you learnt to ride a bicycle.
It was tough, but did it stop you from attempting to cycle? It is the fun factor again making it all worth the sacrifice.
Take the fun away, especially for beginners, and you quickly get bored.
Interest is lost as creativity and curiosity (which is part of learning) fly out the window.
The elements of discovery and exploration are fundamental to Science and so natural to those of school-going age.
How much room is there for discovery in a fun way in most schools (and our universities for that matter)? Maybe to a limited extent in some classrooms and laboratories.
But as one educationist says "real learning takes place in the real world"! Indeed, the world is a living laboratory and learning here is what counts.
Without it, learning becomes dry and artificial, and many will find it tough going.
Disinterested is perhaps a more accurate description, and it is an even more intractable problem because learning stopped a long time ago.
I once advocated the creation of a Toy Museum at the university where I served to focus on traditional playthings and games as part of making Science fun.
The idea initially did not go down well. The reasoning was Science must be modern and technologically advanced.
The point is totally missed when we equate Science with modernity and technical sophistication only.
Science, after all, is a thought process, a mindset that is not time-bound. Scientific principles work regardless of time and place.
A paper aeroplane uses the same basic principle as that of an electronically guided one, though the latter is more complex and sophisticated.
So is the case for a spinning top, a kite and a host of other toys.
The traditional ones have the advantage of illustrating scientific principles more clearly because of their simplicity; plus they demonstrate that Science does not have to be unduly expensive as a learning tool. Students can "invent" their own toys once they understand the principles.
And this is how the Extreme Marshmallow Cannon came into being.
Science ought to be a part of our daily life in understanding the simple things that happen every day.
Drying wet clothing in the sun is a scientific phenomenon, as much as frying fish in a pan.
Switching on the lights that we take for granted is about Science too! But it takes inquisitive minds to figure it out -- that takes us back to the issue of discovery and exploration.
It is also a mistake to equate Science with the training of so-called Science-based professions such as doctors, engineers and the like, as though artists, lawyers and administrators do not need scientific thinking in their line of work.
The complexity of knowledge today has long surpassed the dichotomy between Arts and Science.
For example, when you talk about design nowadays, it is often the combination of the two. Steve Jobs made this clear when he said: "Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works."
The mastery of connecting thought processes across the various disciplines of knowledge is what counts nowadays. It is called transdisciplinarity, beyond interdisciplinarity!
Perhaps this is where we should start in figuring out how best to learn Science in the larger context of knowledge, beginning with the appreciation of its relevance to our daily life.
Learning should be enjoyable, driven by passion for finding out things.
Taking risks and making mistakes are necessary paths to discovery and exploration.
We must make the learning of Science as shaping the right thought processes in the quest for knowledge culture. And make it fun, please!
- The writer is vice chancellor of Albukhary International University.
Learning Curve: Perspective
New Sunday Times - 19-02-2012
The learning of Science is the shaping of thought processes in the quest for knowledge. And we have to make it enjoyable while we are at it
EARLY this month, President Barack Obama tested a prototype launcher -- a high-powered (get this!) "marshmallow gun" that apparently sent tasty missiles through the air to the entrance of the Red Room at the White House.
This invention, called Extreme Marshmallow Cannon, is the creation of Joe Huddy, 14.
It was on display at the White House Youth Science Fair aimed at highlighting the importance of Science and innovation.
Obama has said he would use his upcoming budget proposal to support Science and Mathematics teacher prep programmes.
Science fairs are fun -- as learning should be to be effective and captivating. Learning will be tough if the fun side is left out.
Soon it will become a chore that burdens the brain.
Ever wondered why children are attracted to video games and Information Technology (IT)? Most -- even preschool children -- manage well, mostly on their own, because they are driven by the fun of learning.
And once learnt, the knowledge will stay forever. This is what effective and captivating learning is about.
Children skip meals and sleep to do what they like and do their best!
For the non-IT inclined, think back to the time when you learnt to ride a bicycle.
It was tough, but did it stop you from attempting to cycle? It is the fun factor again making it all worth the sacrifice.
Take the fun away, especially for beginners, and you quickly get bored.
Interest is lost as creativity and curiosity (which is part of learning) fly out the window.
The elements of discovery and exploration are fundamental to Science and so natural to those of school-going age.
How much room is there for discovery in a fun way in most schools (and our universities for that matter)? Maybe to a limited extent in some classrooms and laboratories.
But as one educationist says "real learning takes place in the real world"! Indeed, the world is a living laboratory and learning here is what counts.
Without it, learning becomes dry and artificial, and many will find it tough going.
Disinterested is perhaps a more accurate description, and it is an even more intractable problem because learning stopped a long time ago.
I once advocated the creation of a Toy Museum at the university where I served to focus on traditional playthings and games as part of making Science fun.
The idea initially did not go down well. The reasoning was Science must be modern and technologically advanced.
The point is totally missed when we equate Science with modernity and technical sophistication only.
Science, after all, is a thought process, a mindset that is not time-bound. Scientific principles work regardless of time and place.
A paper aeroplane uses the same basic principle as that of an electronically guided one, though the latter is more complex and sophisticated.
So is the case for a spinning top, a kite and a host of other toys.
The traditional ones have the advantage of illustrating scientific principles more clearly because of their simplicity; plus they demonstrate that Science does not have to be unduly expensive as a learning tool. Students can "invent" their own toys once they understand the principles.
And this is how the Extreme Marshmallow Cannon came into being.
Science ought to be a part of our daily life in understanding the simple things that happen every day.
Drying wet clothing in the sun is a scientific phenomenon, as much as frying fish in a pan.
Switching on the lights that we take for granted is about Science too! But it takes inquisitive minds to figure it out -- that takes us back to the issue of discovery and exploration.
It is also a mistake to equate Science with the training of so-called Science-based professions such as doctors, engineers and the like, as though artists, lawyers and administrators do not need scientific thinking in their line of work.
The complexity of knowledge today has long surpassed the dichotomy between Arts and Science.
For example, when you talk about design nowadays, it is often the combination of the two. Steve Jobs made this clear when he said: "Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works."
The mastery of connecting thought processes across the various disciplines of knowledge is what counts nowadays. It is called transdisciplinarity, beyond interdisciplinarity!
Perhaps this is where we should start in figuring out how best to learn Science in the larger context of knowledge, beginning with the appreciation of its relevance to our daily life.
Learning should be enjoyable, driven by passion for finding out things.
Taking risks and making mistakes are necessary paths to discovery and exploration.
We must make the learning of Science as shaping the right thought processes in the quest for knowledge culture. And make it fun, please!
- The writer is vice chancellor of Albukhary International University.