From the Head of Science
Jennifer Selinger – Head of Science
View from the Kleinlehrer Family Science Building
It wasn’t so much the view as the noise that would have caught your attention on Monday afternoon as you wandered past the Science Building. Eighty or so students all talking at once with much enthusiasm and some excited gesticulating generate a lot of hot air! The annual Night of Science and Wonder was on, and the projects were the usual eclectic mixture, reflecting the varied interests of Year 10. Various comments made to me were a good summary – people were impressed by the range of ideas, by the students’ impressive ability to describe their research and by their understanding and application of the scientific method. I was impressed by the energy and by the stamina of students who explained the ideas over and over again as more people came to chat!
Variety is also the name of the game in other areas in Science at the moment. Year 8 have been learning about various body systems and have reached the digestive system. It is always amusing to listen to the conversations about lesson plans at this time of year:
“What are you doing today in Year 8?” a teacher might ask.
“Making poo. How about you?”
“We are analysing the urine I put together yesterday – the yellow food dye was a good suggestion – thanks!”
Year 9 conversations are likely to be about some crazy Chemistry experiment or how not to blow up the lab while doing the Whoosh Bottle. In Year 7 discussions, teachers are working out when best to make the rollercoasters that form the culminating task for the Physics topic. Teaching Science is certainly rarely boring!
