Asking about what happen around us and why is related to the human being since the very beginning and is the reason for the awakening of science in human history.
A penny for your thoughts
The Museum has created the Center for the Advancement of Science Education to help teachers to motivate children to achieve their full potencial in sciene, technology, medicine and engineering.
We attended to a class in a lab, where we should figure out how many marbles were in a canister without looking in. The objectives are:
1. to learn to devise a model
2. explore the best way to measure an object
3. use critical thinking techniques, such as inference and elimination to make an estimation.
It is based on the following steps: observe, wonder, discover, speculate, investigate, data and conclusion.
I found the lab and its strategy very useful to achieve this objectives with students, simple but at the same time, with a lot of concepts involved in it. I think that this Center is a great resource for teachers, because they offer a good range of learning labs directly relevant to the curriculum.
The advantage of a full inquiry and hand-on methodology over a non-inquiry and hands-off one is obvious, because students are not so directed by teachers, and they need to think by theirselves in order to reach the solution for a problem.
Science Storms
This is the part of the museum I could apply better in my classes, because is more conected with Physics.
Several natural phenomena such as avalanches, tornados, lightning, fire, sunlight or tsunamis are shown in this exhibit and are explained in an interactive (not passive way)
Before the visit, I would ask my students which phenomena they would like to understand and I would ask them to make a list of questions they have about them.
After the visit we would discuss the physics principles that cause those phenomena.
Avalanche motion: Jammed frains flow like a liquid when you shakes them. This motion show how granular materials behave like a solid because gravity hold them together
Rise and sink or the ""Brazil Nut Effect": If you vibrate grains, you can see how the larger ones rise to the top while smaller ones sink to the bottom.
Electricity from sunlight: Solar cells in the panels capture sunlight and convert it into electricity that drives the car motors.
Light as waves: Before Einstein light was thought to be particules or waves, but he demontrated that light are both.
Interference: In a ripple tank you will see darker areas (constructive interference) and lighter areas (destructive areas), so you could understand better how waves behave.
Ripple Effect: the difference between reflect, refract and diffract that ususally is so confusing is also explained here.
Trigger a tsunami: you can chose a phenomena -landslide, volvano or earthquake) and select a shallow, bay or deep place and trigger a tsunami
Light behaviour: Filtering light in a dichroic glass that reflect some wave lenghts and allows others to pass through. You can see the transmitted light and the reflected light after an incoming light.
Wind power: see how magnets can attract or repeal each other and understand the basis of magnetism.
Combustion: In this simulation you can adjust fuel, mist and lasers to see how the flame changes.
Atoms: This Periodic Table is a fun way to learn how atoms react. Yo chose elements from a Periodic table and pull them into a reaction lab to see what happens.
Apart from these, you could also understand how Sun dogs, rainbows or glowworms are caused
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