Interactive Workshop for Science Teachers

On August 6th 2016, Dr. Smriti Singh and Mrs. P. Yogeshwari attended a workshop for science teachers at the Ahlcon International School. The workshop was conducted by Dr. Ken Silburn, President, LAZSTA (The Metropolitan South-West Science Teachers Association). Dr. Silburn is renowned for his work and in 2015, received the Australian prime ministers award for excellence in science teaching amongst secondary schools.

The workshop showed a variety of creative strategies to make science fun and more meaningful within the classroom. The activities observed were:

Strong Structures: Mr. Silburn asked teachers to roll up four A4 size paper sheets into cylinders and place a book on them to prove that cylinders are stronger than square columns because they have no folds. The folds in the square columns are a weak point where the force of the weight is concentrated. The cylinders have no folds so distribute the weight evenly, making them much stronger.

Musical Straws: Sound is a form of energy which is created by things moving back and forth. Mr. Silburn took a straw, cut one end into a point, about 1cm long. He then blew air through it which made the tips of the point vibrate and produce sound. By reducing the length of the straw, he demonstrated that one can change the speed of the vibration (the frequency of the sound) which in turn would change the pitch of the sound. Most wind instruments, including many traditional African instruments, work on this principle.

String Telephone: Mr. Silburn performed an interesting activity to show how sound can travel through strings. He took two cups and cut a small hole in the middle of the base of each cup. He then took a string, passed either end through both holes and then tied a knot. He stretched the string tight. While talking into the cup, he made it vibrate with the sound of his voice. These vibrations traveled along the string into the other cup, making it vibrate too. This activity brought back delightful childhood memories!

Imploding Can: Place about 10 ml of water into an aluminum can. Then heat it to allow the water to vaporise. Inverting the can onto a dish of cold water will make the can implode because of high atmospheric pressure.

Boiled Egg in the Bottle: Drop a piece of burning paper into a bottle. After a few seconds, place a boiled peeled egg on its mouth in a way such that the pointed end of it is faces down. When the paper stops burning, it creates low pressure inside the bottle. This causes the air from outside to move into the bottle, forcing the egg to drop go into the bottle.

A booklet for science teachers, compiled and written by Graham Walker and Joe Duggan at the National Centre for Public Awareness of Science, Australian National University, was also handed out to the teachers. This book contains a wide range of curriculum-related science activities that can be done with everyday items that are both low cost and easily available. The aim of these activities is to allow students to discover science in a fun and interactive way. The workshop was extremely beneficial. As a result of it, we were exposed to thought- provoking ideas that promote exploration and strengthen critical-thinking skills amongst our students.

Ms. P. Yogeshwari.