Five Lessons for Science Teachers

Flickr Image under CC license by ceolm

Teaching science, especially to teenagers, should be an opportunity to share our love for science with curious and young people. But too often teachers simply end up boring their students to death. (I, too, dreaded the science classes in school and just rolled into engineering because I enjoyed solving math riddles).

But in his TED talk, Tyler DeWitt shows us how to teach science, and make it fun. From his short presentation, there are four lessons for all of us that love science and want to share this love with possible future scientists.

1. Avoid jargon.

you should avoid jargon at all times when you talk about your research or interests to friends, family or students. I'd even say that you'd better avoid as much jargon as possible when you talk to other experts, because we all have very narrow and deeply defined fields of research.

2. Science is fun.

We know that science is fun. Now it's our turn not to keep that little secret to ourselves. Nature is beautiful and filled with smart hacks. Our inventions can go beyond our imagination. Asking "What if?", drawing connections and simply playing in the sandbox are all vital parts of science. That's the story we should tell young children.

3. Show your enthusiasm.

If you are passionate and enthusiastic about your field of expertise, then it's completely OK to overflow and express this feeling to others. One of the brilliant parts of Tyler DeWitt's talk is the absolute joy he seems to find in talking about bacteria and viruses. If I'd have had someone with so much zeal in front of me in school, I would have listened.

4. Tell a story.

It's OK to simplify an explanation, as long as the gist of the idea is crystal-clear to the audience and learners. Telling a story, creating analogies and relating concepts from science to situations from everyday life are all different ways to grab the attention, to build eagerness to learn and to foster curiosity.

5. Display visual information.

Another brilliant part in Tyler's story are the simple, yet clear drawings that he uses. These drawings tell students so much more than a few lines of text. Visuals bring our stories to life, and that is exactly one of our goals in the classroom.

Here, you can watch Tyler DeWitt's talk:

Fifty Shades of Concrete

My TEDx Delft Salon talk is online! 

Science is Fun, Science is Play

When I went for my PhD Start-Up training course, I learned to know the expression "Science is fun".

In the end, as a researcher, you are in the privileged position to play around with ideas, use your time to explore different paths and -most likely- in one way or another carry out experiments nobody has ever done before.

You are not required to follow existing flow charts to solve a problem, but are instead encouraged to explore possibilities, and you are given the time to truly explore the research question in order to advance your field. 

The basic character trait you need is just curiosity: the ability to ask yourself why are things the way they are? And then, in order to study the implications of this question, you need to set up a game. When described in these terms, research is something that is absolutely suitable for children as well. Beau Lotto tested the scientific method with a group of school children - and ended up having the kids become published scientists. This video is one of the best insights in science I have seen in a long time - please enjoy, share, and -if possible- go and spread the love for science to young children.

More than "Science: It's a girl thing!" in which science is Barbified, I think that we need young girls to learn that "Science is fun" by actually exposing them to true science, such that they can experience what it is really like.

Powerposing to boost your conference presence

I recently feel very inspired by an article and a TED talk that I came across.

The article gives advice on how you can succeed at conferences as an introvert. As an introvert myself, going to a conference can feel like a daunting task, but I recognize myself very much in Brooke's story.

Similarly, I tend to give myself a virtual kick in the mind when I head out into a crowd of unknown, awfully smart people who might discover a flaw in my work. I tell myself to keep my shoulders low and my chin up. Little did I know that actually altering your posture might have a positive influence on your performance. Therefore, I feel eager to share Amy Cuddy's TED talk. She advices us, not to just "fake it until you make it", but to actually "fake it until you become it".



Do you have a way to push yourself out of your comfort zone during conferences?