Different Media for communicating Science to different groups

DIFFERENT MEDIA FOR COMMUNICATING SCIENCE TO DIFFERENT GROUPS Derek Fish Unizul Science Centre South Africa

AFRICAN ISSUES GLOBAL WARMING GENETICALLY MOD. FOODS TECHNOLOGY ADDICTIONS ENERGY CRISIS CLONING MAD COW DAY TO DAY SURVIVAL

South Africa has RACE problems

ROADS

AIDS

CRIME

EDUCATION

R A C E

AIDS : The Problem

AIDS : Attitudes

AIDS : Response: Aids Exhibits

AIDS : Response: Aids Maze

CRIME : The Problem 200 PEOPLE MURDERED!

CRIME : Attitudes

CRIME : Response: Careers

CRIME : Response: Prison Visit

EDUCATION : The Problem

EDUCATION: The Problem MATRIC (FINAL YEAR) SCIENCE RESULTS (HG) EMPANGENI REGION

Hendrik Verwoerd: S.A. Prime Minister "When I have control over Native education I will reform it so that the Natives will be taught from childhood to realise that equality with Europeans is not for them ... What is the use of teaching the Bantu mathematics when he cannot use it in practice?"

Rondebosch Boys’ High School

Most South African Schools

TIMSS 1995

TIMSS 1999

TIMSS 1995 - 1999

TIMSS 2003

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT 887,964 Turkey 15 1,200,879 South Korea 14 1,265,838 Canada 13 1,346,009 Mexico 12 1,351,608 Spain 11 1,786,429 Italy 10 1,845,642 Brazil 9 2,046,899 France 8 2,087,815 Russia 7 2,137,421 United Kingdom 6 2,809,693 Germany 5 2,988,867 India 4 4,289,809 Japan 3 6,991,036 1 China 2 13,843,825 United States 1 14,712,369 European Union — 64,903,314 World — GDP (PPP) $M Country Rank 25,676 Botswana 104 31,331 Ghana 94 403,961 Egypt 27 459,958 Pakistan 26 467,089 South Africa 25 519,362 Thailand 24 523,739 Argentina 23 564,561 Saudi Arabia 22 620,868 Poland 21 639,512 Netherlands 20 695,388 Rep China (Taiwan) 19 752,967 Iran 18 760,812 Australia 17 837,791 Indonesia 16 GDP (PPP) $M Country Rank

TIMSS 1999 - 2003

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PIRLS 2006 READING SKILLS

“ I am a product of Bantu education and when I look back, it really seems much better than what education appears to be today.” Wendy Luhabe: Chancellor: University of Johannesburg “ I agree with her!” Mamphela Ramphele: Vice Chancellor: UCT

EDUCATION : Government Response

“ We went for a Rolls Royce model to deal with that [Apartheid education] – but the Malawians are driving a Volkswagen and they are driving past us.” Mamphela Ramphele: Vice Chancellor: UCT

“ [We have adopted] a curriculum of education totally unsuited for our environment. Why? Because we didn’t have the self-confidence to acknowledge where we are.” Mamphela Ramphele: Vice Chancellor: UCT

SCIENTISTS AND TECHNOLOGISTS PER 1000 PEOPLE

If you think education is expensive, try ignorance! Losses caused by ESKOM: R 50 billion!

More than half of the South African population is in the grip of extreme hunger and poverty and in places entire rural communities go without food for days, according to a report tabled by the President and founder of African Monitor, Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane. The report comes on the 10th anniversary of the National Poverty Hearings in Cape Town today. Poverty in South Africa has deepened over the past 10 years, with more than half of the population grappling chronic food shortages. Hardest hit are rural communities in the Free State, Northern Cape, the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo bearing the biggest brunt. October 22, 2008, 18:00

“Tabula Rasa”

Carl Friedrich Gauss (1785 - age 8) Punishment : Add the numbers from 1 to 100 ! 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ………...97 + 98 + 99 + 100 100 +99 + 98 + 97+ ……….+ 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 101+101+101+101+ ……...+101+101+101 +101 100 x 101 = 10100 = twice the sum The sum= 100 / 2 x 101 = 5050 = ½ (Number of terms) [First + Last] = ½ n [ a + l ]

10 km

LED = Light Emitting Diode: 15%

FET = Field Effect Transistor: 2%

LASER = Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation: 0%

Difference between fission and fusion reactions: 42%

Teacher knowledge: Terms in new curriculum

De Broglie Wavelength: 36 %

Red Shift: 12 %

Logic Gate: 17 %

Doppler Effect: 19 %

Electron Microscope: 43 %

Photon: 67 %

Teacher understanding: Terms in new curriculum (2)

EDUCATION : Response

CONCEPTUAL (cognitive) VISUAL (perceptive) MOTIVATION (affective) FACTORS AFFECTING LEARNING

METHODS:

Observation

“ Stories”

Drawing

Questionnaire

Test

INTERACTIVITY INDIVIDUAL PAIRS SMALL GROUPS LARGE GROUPS . . EXHIBITS WORKSHOPS SHOWS TALKS MODE OF EXPERIENCE GROUP VISITING URBAN TOWN SHIP RURAL

Wealthy, urban, mainly white

Confident

Cocky

Naughty

Questioning

High expectations

Broad general knowledge

English speaking

Technologically literate

Excited by interactives

Favour individual learning

Most have computers at home

Poor, rural, mainly black

Lacking confidence

Reserved

Well behaved

Accepting

Low expectations

Poor general knowledge

isiZulu speaking

No access to technology

(Initially) Afraid of interactives

Favour group learning

None have used a computer before . . . Ever!

In between: Township Schools

Wealthy, urban, mainly white

Confident

Cocky

Naughty

Questioning

High expectations

English speaking

Have computers at home

Lacking confidence Reserved Well behaved Accepting Low expectations Poor general knowledge isiZulu speaking No access to technology (Initially) Afraid of interactives Favour group learning Never used a computer Poor, rural, mainly black

URBAN

Confident

Cocky

Naughty

Questioning

High expectations

English speaking

Have computers at home

Lacking confidence Reserved Well behaved Accepting Low expectations Poor general knowledge isiZulu speaking No access to technology (Initially) Afraid of interactives Favour group learning Never used a computer RURAL TOWNSHIP