Science fiction is an area that truly excites students (Star Wars, Number 4 Human, Star Trek, Alien, etc.). With this being a given, it would make sense for teachers to find ways to weave it into their science lessons from time to time. What better tool to grab and hold their attention than to pose that key question---how might this information (your lesson) affect the future? If teachers are to inspire a new generation of leaders in the sciences, they need to start posing lots of "what if" questions. How will space colonies be created? What will happen when earth runs out of natural resources? What will happen if the earth's axis tilts? What dangers will humans face in colonizing the moon? How will the earth deal with food shortages as the planet's population exceeds earth's present ability to feed them all? Science teachers need to encourage students to think outside the box so to speak. They need to become future problem solvers.
TV shows like
SCI-FI SCIENCE: PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE with Dr. Kaku explore how close humans are to realizing the dreams of science fiction. The shows have a loyal following of sci-fi (science fiction) fans who come from all walks of life and all fields of study. Dr. Kaku has a talent of taking the complex and de-mystifying it so that general audiences with a wide range of abilities in science (from limited to advanced degree holders in science) can watch the show with a full understanding of the concepts he covers in each episode. Teachers will also find a wide variety of fun quizzes which students can take to see how well they understood the material covered. These are fun quizzes so students don't have to worry about a grade. Instead, these quizzes will show them how much of the program they understood. Areas where they struggled, a teacher could address in classroom discussions of the results. Click on this link for
quizzes:)
Last, but not least, I am including a link for teachers to sign up for
newsletters. Find your interest and subscribe. Blogs are there as well. You may become an active participant or not--the choice is yours.
I hope you try the site. You will not be disappointed!
That is all for now:)
Denise
ELL Teacher Pros
There's another program that uses science fiction to describes the use of realities from current physics to create machines and ideas from science fiction. Dr. Michio Kaku a professor of theoretical physicist at the City University of NY city, is the host and a sci fi fan. http://science.discovery.com/videos/sci-fi-science-videos/
ReplyDeleteMarnie