Splash ABC – George Pinniger
” How can teachers encourage more students to continue studying STEM subjects throughout high school and into university? Start by making science fun. George Pinniger explores how to equip children for Australia’s future. Over many years of teaching secondary science at a number of schools, I found it distressing that so many pupils arrived in Year 7 telling me that ‘science is difficult’ or ‘boring’ before we had even begun. The huge advantage of science subjects is that they are fun, and should be taught so as to make them fun, albeit relevant and interesting (and fascinating)! This means experiments and other practical work, of course. I’ve seen small groups of young children, boys and girls alike, spend loads of time fiddling with mobile phones to see what they can do with them. They rarely need instructions, and as they discover something new they immediately share it with others. They then test the same discovery themselves, again sharing their discoveries, and the excitement spreads, because they find it’s fun. It’s also marvellous experimental science.”(more)