Getting to Grips with Science : A Fresh Approach for the Curious PDF
Preview Getting to Grips with Science : A Fresh Approach for the Curious
Getting to Grips with Science A Fresh Approach for the Curious p977hc_9781783265916_tp.indd 1 27/11/14 11:49 am May2,2013 14:6 BC:8831-ProbabilityandStatisticalTheory PST˙ws TThhiiss ppaaggee iinntteennttiioonnaallllyy lleefftt bbllaannkk Getting to Grips with Science A Fresh Approach for the Curious Andrew Morris Imperial College Press ICP p977hc_9781783265916_tp.indd 2 27/11/14 11:49 am Published by Imperial College Press 57 Shelton Street Covent Garden London WC2H 9HE Distributed by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224 USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601 UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Morris, Andrew (Science teacher) Getting to grips with science / Andrew Morris. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-78326-591-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-78326-592-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Science--Study and teaching. 2. Discoveries in science. 3. Effective teaching. I. Title. Q181.M875 2015 507.1--dc23 2014044356 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Copyright © 2015 by Imperial College Press All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the Publisher. For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy is not required from the publisher. Typeset by Stallion Press Email: [email protected] Printed in Singapore Catherine - Getting to Grips with Science.indd 1 20/11/2014 3:31:15 PM b1960 Getting to Grips with Science For my parents John and Susan Morris who breathed the spirit of enquiry into me. bb11996600__FFMM..iinndddd vv 1111//2277//22001144 44::3344::3388 PPMM May2,2013 14:6 BC:8831-ProbabilityandStatisticalTheory PST˙ws TThhiiss ppaaggee iinntteennttiioonnaallllyy lleefftt bbllaannkk b1960 Getting to Grips with Science Acknowledgements The inspiration for this book dates back to earliest childhood. I hold my parents responsible for my excessive enthusiasm for fi nding out about things. Was it the environment they created that encouraged me to construct things and look at things all day long or was it just the genes they passed on? It’s a hot topic for scientific debate today, but either way it was their fault. The condition was exacerbated by two quite brilliant teachers at Bedwell Primary School in Stevenage, Mr Ewart and Mr Thomas. They appeared to let me just get on with it all day long, whether the “it” was playing the recorder, dividing fractions or making marionettes. It wasn’t untill I undertook research for a doctorate in molecular biophysics that I once again enjoyed the kind of rich learning environment that they had provided, the workbench, the wet area, the book cupboard — fertile spaces in primary school and science laboratory alike. I have my wonderful doctoral supervisor, the late Sandy Geddes, to thank for showing me how to blend rigorous scientific scepticism with the excitement of discovery. The inspiration to take forward my ideas about working with adult learners I owe to my good friend John Vorhaus, who introduced me to the Mary Ward Centre in London. The head of department at the time, Gerald Jones, took the risk of running an innovative science course in a humanities department and I am grateful to him for doing so. For the preparation of this book I am indebted to the editors at Imperial College Press, Jacqueline Downs, Alice Oven and Thomas Stottor, whose advice and encouragement have been all that an author might wish for. Thanks also go to the friends and colleagues who agreed to read an early draft, spotted errors and suggested helpful improvements — Peter Campbell, Charlotte Eatwell, Will Lake, Daisy Minton, Victoria Minton, Tom Morris, Ian Nash, Lin Norman and Geoff Stanton. For his endless patience and encouragement throughout I am grateful to my partner Franco Carta. vii bb11996600__FFMM..iinndddd vviiii 1111//2277//22001144 44::3344::3388 PPMM b1960 Getting to Grips with Science viii Getting to Grips with Science But the stars of the book, as you will see inside, are the members of the discussion groups upon which the entire project has depended. By their enthusiasm and commitment they have demonstrated that simple curiosity, once released, is enough to drive an unending enquiry into the workings of the natural world. By fearlessly articulating their life experiences and persis- tently probing the scientific explanations offered they have not only devel- oped new scientific insights for themselves but have also forced me into an ever deeper understanding of concepts that I once thought I had grasped. To them I am eternally grateful, especially those who have stayed the course the longest: Peggy Aylett, Ann Boston, Jane Brehony, Hilary Davies, Harry Goldstein, Debbie Karp, Carmen and Susan Kearney, Aileen Cook Nayna Kumari, Monica Lanyado, May Luk, Melissa Rosenbaum, Linda Slack, Paul Treuthardt, Penny Wesson, Emily White and Anna Wojtowicz. Their voices ring out loud and clear throughout the pages that follow. bb11996600__FFMM..iinndddd vviiiiii 1111//2277//22001144 44::3344::3388 PPMM b1960 Getting to Grips with Science About the Author Andrew Morris taught science for twenty years in sixth-form, further and adult education. A physics graduate from University College London, he worked in molecular biophysics at Oxford University and completed a doc- torate in biophysics at the University of Leeds. Starting as a teacher of physics and maths, he then became deputy head of Islington Sixth Form Centre and subsequently a director of City and Islington College. Nationally he worked as a research manager in a further education agency and directed a pro- gramme aimed at linking educational research to policy and practice. In 2002 he set up an experimental scheme at the Mary Ward Centre to encourage people to explore scientific ideas through the questions that arise in everyday life. The discussion groups arising from this are the inspiration for this book. ix bb11996600__FFMM..iinndddd iixx 1111//2277//22001144 44::3344::3388 PPMM
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