Opinions and reflections on the dissemination of science from a science troubadour, educator and sci ed researcher.
Most students enjoy it when their teacher does something a little different to break up the lesson and our music videos are great for this, but they are designed to be much more than a bit of fun or an attention grabber. Here are six ways that the SciTunes music videos and accompanying worksheets can be used in the classroom to enhance learning, making the most of a song-based approach.
Read MoreThis week I launched the first of five new music videos directly related to the secondary physics curriculum. As the others are released over the next few weeks, the Sci Song Guy blogs will be devoted to using songs for revision and in the classroom. The songs, which will cover particle theory, electricity, radioactivity, forces, and waves have been funded by the Stephen Hawking Foundation as part of their mission to improve science education and increase participation.
Read MoreThe Easter holidays are nearly over and for year 11 teachers and students this means one thing - revision, revision, revision. It can be a stressful time for teachers, students and their parents and it can be boring for students too. The new GCSE curricula for science are content heavy and students' memories will be stretched to the max. Sitting down and memorising facts is rarely fun but teachers will hopefully make the best of it by designing games and dynamic sessions for students to go over the enormous quantity of material in the short time left. If the sessions are boring then nothing gets remembered. If they are too slow then they run out of time to revise it all. So the challenge for teachers and students is to cram lots of information in without it getting boring. Students quickly tire of making mind maps and teachers struggle to find the time to make great resources but over the past year and a half, since I left the classroom, I have been working on a set of resources that might help! The struggle for parents is keep their kids on track without sounding like a nag.
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