A topic that gets quite a frequent airing in our tearoom is the decline in the number of students taking physics. This issue isn’t peculiar to my institution – a quick look at the literature indicates that it’s a global problem**. The question is, what can be done about this? It’s a question that Pey-Tee […]
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chutzpah & pingpong balls
Via a family member’s blog, I discovered a physics story with this wonderful beginning: It’s the rare scientific mind that has the pure intellectual chutzpah to tackle a problem that has troubled boffinry since the discovery of cryogenics – namely, "What happens if you combine liquid nitrogen with 1,500 ping-pong balls?" I wanna be in Roy […]
Continue readinghow do kids learn about dna?
My significant other is forever telling me that Facebook is a total time-waster. Sometimes I do tend to agree – but also, one can Find Out Stuff! Like the study I’ve just heard about via Science Alert, on how children get information about genetics and DNA – things we might regard as being in the […]
Continue readingindonesia to host 2014 international biology olympiad
The dream is over! Dr Poonpipope Kasemsap, the IBO Chairperson, contacted NZIBO chair Dr Angela Sharples last night. The Indonesian government has stepped in to support the organisers and the 25th IBO will be hosted in Bali in either the 1st or 2nd week of July 2014. As Angela has said to me, on a […]
Continue readingthe sir paul callaghan science academy
Sir Paul Callaghan was a great scientist, a superb science communicator, and a visionary with a very clear idea of the importance of science and science education to New Zealand’s future: a future where our population is ‘science-savvy’ and where students are attracted to study for careers in science, technology and engineering. If that’s to […]
Continue readingscience: 1; society for textbook revise: 0
From Nature (& via a commenter at Silly Beliefs): science wins over creationism. In South Korea, the Society for Textbook Revise, STR [sic] – associated with the Korea Association for Creation Research – has apparently been pushing textbook publishers to remove two examples of evolution from school textbooks. You may be surprised to hear that […]
Continue readingcharter schools (from letters to the editor)
Usually when I choose to base a post on the ‘letters’ section of a newspaper, it’s because something that someone’s written has rather got my goat. This time – this time, it’s because I agree with the sentiments & feel they warrant a wider audience & further analysis. The Government wants to introduce charter schools, […]
Continue readingpassionate biologists start early
Today, 385 talented senior biology students from 67 secondary schools will sit the NZ International Biology Olympiad entrance exam. Dr Meikle, secretary NZIBO said "This is the largest number of students from the widest range of schools ever!" At Christ’s College, the students are so keen that they will sit this test at 7:15 am. […]
Continue readingquality counts – except when it doesn’t
A few weeks ago, writing about the ‘great class size debate’, I also touched on the question of quality teaching. There’s no question – at least, there shouldn’t be – that children deserve the best possible learning experiences, and one of the requirements for that is quality teaching by excellent, expert teachers. It’s quite tricky […]
Continue readinga letter from exotic places
Once again my good intentions to get back into a more regular blogging cycle have been stymied – although this time the reasons are all good. For I am in Singapore, at the 2012 International Biology Olympiad. Fifty-nine different countries have sent students to compete in this prestigious competition, supported by senior academics & teachers. […]
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