Aloha, Science Blogs.
14 years ago
So for today's blog: more about making science exciting. I'm keen to find different examples and share them with you, to highlight the many ways in which science can be presented, give you ideas, and make you aware of the science already out there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYW50F42ss8
This is a song by Tom Leher, a very funny musician/comedian from the 1950s/1960s called the chemistry element song. It lists all the elements in a fast paced, humous song.
I think this is a great way for students to learn the elements, and have fun. It might take a few listens to learn it though as it really moves at a rapid pace (it's to the tune of 'Modern Major General' from Pirates of Penzance). However I instantly saw it's usefulness in a classroom as a learning tool, even if it is only used to inspire the students.
Have you experienced quirky learning resources? Did they inspire you, or teach you directly? Or just distract you?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYW50F42ss8
This is a song by Tom Leher, a very funny musician/comedian from the 1950s/1960s called the chemistry element song. It lists all the elements in a fast paced, humous song.
I think this is a great way for students to learn the elements, and have fun. It might take a few listens to learn it though as it really moves at a rapid pace (it's to the tune of 'Modern Major General' from Pirates of Penzance). However I instantly saw it's usefulness in a classroom as a learning tool, even if it is only used to inspire the students.
Have you experienced quirky learning resources? Did they inspire you, or teach you directly? Or just distract you?
Bonus Post!
Aren't you lucky?!
This is just to let you know that my article has been published on the ANU news website. You can find it here if you want to have a look:
http://science.anu.edu.au/News/NewsStory.php?ID=369
Aren't you lucky?!
This is just to let you know that my article has been published on the ANU news website. You can find it here if you want to have a look:
http://science.anu.edu.au/News/NewsStory.php?ID=369
So, my darling of a fiance took me to the Opera House last night to see the Mikado by Opera Australia (it's an operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan if you didn't know...). It was amazing! I love theatre, I love musicals, so this was brilliant. And, Anthony Warlow was Koko, one of the main characters. So of course it was spectacular! ;)
Now, what does this have to do with science communication? I hear you ask. Is she just blogging about her life, and this site isn't going to all relate to science communication? No - I promise I shall only blog about my life if it has relevance to science communication (however tenuous). Ah, relevance! Now we come to the point...
I have been examining relevance quite a bit lately, and so the topic seems relevant to me. ;) Haha, relevant - get it?
Ahem. Sorry.
So, there is a song in the Mikado that Koko sings about people who he can execute (he's the Lord High Executioner) who won't be missed by society. Such as those with flabby arms, and irritating laughs. It is rather humorous but the comedy is heightened by a tradition to compose extra verses with relevant lyrics. For example last night, Anthony Warlow sung about Kevin 07, Goodwin Gretch, and yuppies who drive around in 4WDs, plus many more references that have currently slipped my mind. But the point was, the audience found it so funny because they related to the song. They understood it. They knew the context. Other versions i have found on You-Tube are full of references appropriate for their audience (One lists Dr Phil...). This is one of the best ones I found for funny references:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJJzGoyKH4c&feature=related
This one is also good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A45xqLHccRo&feature=related
Now, returning to Anthony Warlow for a minute: he did a similar thing in 2007 when he performed a Jack Sparrow version of the Pirate King in the Pirates of Penzance.
You can see him here: (although sorry he's not the main feature in this song)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0Y2WZAq8CQ
Again, the audience loved it because it was relevant - they understood it.
Now for the take home message of the day:
Make your message relevant. Make your production relevant. Make the humor relevant. It doesn't matter if you are putting on a Shakespeare play or performing a science show - if you want the audience to connect with you, you need to include something of relevance to them. John Bell, of the Bell Shakespeare Company, strongly believes in relevance. He believes it is the most important thing for allowing the audience to receive the message you are giving them. This is why he sets most of his Shakespeare productions and other plays in modern day - so the audience can relate.
If the audience does not understand, if there is no connection, there is no point. You will not be heard.
Make it relevant.
Now, what does this have to do with science communication? I hear you ask. Is she just blogging about her life, and this site isn't going to all relate to science communication? No - I promise I shall only blog about my life if it has relevance to science communication (however tenuous). Ah, relevance! Now we come to the point...
I have been examining relevance quite a bit lately, and so the topic seems relevant to me. ;) Haha, relevant - get it?
Ahem. Sorry.
So, there is a song in the Mikado that Koko sings about people who he can execute (he's the Lord High Executioner) who won't be missed by society. Such as those with flabby arms, and irritating laughs. It is rather humorous but the comedy is heightened by a tradition to compose extra verses with relevant lyrics. For example last night, Anthony Warlow sung about Kevin 07, Goodwin Gretch, and yuppies who drive around in 4WDs, plus many more references that have currently slipped my mind. But the point was, the audience found it so funny because they related to the song. They understood it. They knew the context. Other versions i have found on You-Tube are full of references appropriate for their audience (One lists Dr Phil...). This is one of the best ones I found for funny references:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJJzGoyKH4c&feature=related
This one is also good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A45xqLHccRo&feature=related
Now, returning to Anthony Warlow for a minute: he did a similar thing in 2007 when he performed a Jack Sparrow version of the Pirate King in the Pirates of Penzance.
You can see him here: (although sorry he's not the main feature in this song)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0Y2WZAq8CQ
Again, the audience loved it because it was relevant - they understood it.
Now for the take home message of the day:
Make your message relevant. Make your production relevant. Make the humor relevant. It doesn't matter if you are putting on a Shakespeare play or performing a science show - if you want the audience to connect with you, you need to include something of relevance to them. John Bell, of the Bell Shakespeare Company, strongly believes in relevance. He believes it is the most important thing for allowing the audience to receive the message you are giving them. This is why he sets most of his Shakespeare productions and other plays in modern day - so the audience can relate.
If the audience does not understand, if there is no connection, there is no point. You will not be heard.
Make it relevant.
Greetings everyone!
Well I figured I should hurry up and start my blog, and I'll fix the template to something more exciting later.
So, welcome to Experiments, Explosions and Elephants!
I plan to post regularly to make it easier on my followers. The plan is to post on Mondays and Fridays - a great note to start and end your working week with. So keep an eye (or an RSS feed) open on Friday.
I would like to begin with some thoughts on science presenting, as this is what I am most interested in, and what this blog will primarily be about.
This last week in Australia was National Science Week. It used to be combined with Science Festival, but this year they split them. I'm not sure why, but at least it gave science more publicity - two weeks dedicated to science awareness. :) Although on the other hand, splitting one whizz bang event into two doesn't give two wizz bang events. At least not yet.
As I am doing a science media course this semester, our assignment was to attend a NSW (National Science Week, not New South Wales, in this case) event on assignment (word duplication intended for effect), and write a news article about it.
I attended the 'Just Add Water' presentation by Dr Peter Wothers last Tuesday. Dr Wothers is from the University of Cambridge in the UK and had been presenting public science lectures for 10 years. This lecture was for school students in years 7-10 (he ran repeats for years 11-12, and the general public later in the week) and schools from all over Australia attended (well, I saw at least one from Melbourne and Sydney). It was very good and included lots of explosions (hydrogen balloons + fire = awesome explosion) and fires (sodium oxide and water on rice bubbles), which everyone loved.
From a potential future science presenter, or at least as a person imensely interested in the topic, I felt that he was good at communicating with the audience, particularly for the high school students. The worst elements were the late start (20 minutes) and the cluttered set (which can be excused to a degree given that they were improvising some equipment from the ANU Chemistry department. But I do think a good, well thought-out set will emphasise the presentation, compared to a cluttered set up which distracts). He knew his stuff (as you'd hope he would with such an intense background in chemistry) and knew how to commmunicate it clearly.
Importantly, Dr Wothers made it exciting. I think this is vital for communicating to kids or teenagers. Adults too, but I want to focus on children. I'm sure everyone will agree that there's nothing like a good explosion to attract kids to science. There's nothing wrong with using 'flashy demonstrations' to grab attention. Sure, it's not a totally realistic portrayel of science, but kids will realise that as they become more serious about science. If they start off believeing that science is fun and exciting, then hopefully they will continue to find it exciting, even the parts that aren't so flashy, per-say.
The Excited Particles at Questacon also use this technique. They are very fond of hydrogen explosions, and use them whenever they can get away with it. The slogan of Questacon is 'Making Science Fun', and demonstrating the flashy elements equates to fun, I think.
Its ok to use entertainment when communicating science. People are after entertainment more than straight facts (no matter how much we hope for the contrary), and will remember what they learned better if they can relate the information to explosions and fires. And if all they remember in 2 weeks is that hydrogen explodes, then at least they learnt something.
So go on, explode something. You know you want to.
On a side note: my news report of the event has been accepted by the ANU media centre for publication. It will appear on the ANU website and in the ANU On Campus Newsletter. I'll post a link to it when it appears. :)
Well I figured I should hurry up and start my blog, and I'll fix the template to something more exciting later.
So, welcome to Experiments, Explosions and Elephants!
I plan to post regularly to make it easier on my followers. The plan is to post on Mondays and Fridays - a great note to start and end your working week with. So keep an eye (or an RSS feed) open on Friday.
I would like to begin with some thoughts on science presenting, as this is what I am most interested in, and what this blog will primarily be about.
This last week in Australia was National Science Week. It used to be combined with Science Festival, but this year they split them. I'm not sure why, but at least it gave science more publicity - two weeks dedicated to science awareness. :) Although on the other hand, splitting one whizz bang event into two doesn't give two wizz bang events. At least not yet.
As I am doing a science media course this semester, our assignment was to attend a NSW (National Science Week, not New South Wales, in this case) event on assignment (word duplication intended for effect), and write a news article about it.
I attended the 'Just Add Water' presentation by Dr Peter Wothers last Tuesday. Dr Wothers is from the University of Cambridge in the UK and had been presenting public science lectures for 10 years. This lecture was for school students in years 7-10 (he ran repeats for years 11-12, and the general public later in the week) and schools from all over Australia attended (well, I saw at least one from Melbourne and Sydney). It was very good and included lots of explosions (hydrogen balloons + fire = awesome explosion) and fires (sodium oxide and water on rice bubbles), which everyone loved.
From a potential future science presenter, or at least as a person imensely interested in the topic, I felt that he was good at communicating with the audience, particularly for the high school students. The worst elements were the late start (20 minutes) and the cluttered set (which can be excused to a degree given that they were improvising some equipment from the ANU Chemistry department. But I do think a good, well thought-out set will emphasise the presentation, compared to a cluttered set up which distracts). He knew his stuff (as you'd hope he would with such an intense background in chemistry) and knew how to commmunicate it clearly.
Importantly, Dr Wothers made it exciting. I think this is vital for communicating to kids or teenagers. Adults too, but I want to focus on children. I'm sure everyone will agree that there's nothing like a good explosion to attract kids to science. There's nothing wrong with using 'flashy demonstrations' to grab attention. Sure, it's not a totally realistic portrayel of science, but kids will realise that as they become more serious about science. If they start off believeing that science is fun and exciting, then hopefully they will continue to find it exciting, even the parts that aren't so flashy, per-say.
The Excited Particles at Questacon also use this technique. They are very fond of hydrogen explosions, and use them whenever they can get away with it. The slogan of Questacon is 'Making Science Fun', and demonstrating the flashy elements equates to fun, I think.
Its ok to use entertainment when communicating science. People are after entertainment more than straight facts (no matter how much we hope for the contrary), and will remember what they learned better if they can relate the information to explosions and fires. And if all they remember in 2 weeks is that hydrogen explodes, then at least they learnt something.
So go on, explode something. You know you want to.
On a side note: my news report of the event has been accepted by the ANU media centre for publication. It will appear on the ANU website and in the ANU On Campus Newsletter. I'll post a link to it when it appears. :)
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