Understanding science: a new online resource
Between Gary Larson’s Far Side images of nerdy-looking men and women in lab coats, and the well-manicured technicians of CSI: Las Vegas, the public perception of scientists and their workplaces is more than a tad suspect.
With the goal of correcting some of these misconceptions, a group of researchers and teachers based at UC Berkeley recently released a website called Understanding Science. This site is designed to explain both the methods of science and its role in our world. Topics range from the common goals and approaches that scientists take in their research, to the relevance of science in society. With an enthusiastic and kid-friendly approach (check out the revision to the usual way the scientific method is taught), they have created a site that is both informative and engaging to browse.
Understanding Science also provides tools for teachers, to help them develop lesson plans and bring their students to the site to learn on their own. This is a great resource, allowing the teachers to integrate these lessons into their own classes without having to start from scratch. It’s exciting to imagine a generation of children who have been trained not in just the rock-solid facts of biology, chemistry and physics, but in concentrating on the ways in which these facts were obtained.
Related link:
Drawings by 7th-graders before and after a visit to Fermilab show how their perceptions of scientists changed after the visit: http://ed.fnal.gov/projects/scientists/index.html
Tags: education, understanding science, websites