It has been a challenging few months. I have been off with a hand injury after colliding with the road whilst cycling to work, back in May. Well the choice was either collide with the road or collide with the car that had suddenly appeared in the cycle track. Ho, well, the police say I lost control of the bicycle and are not taking any action. Several days in hospital, and several weeks of physiotherapy before getting use back in my hand.
At least with a cycle helmet, gloves and other safety measures it was not too bad. Broken hand, bruises and a lovely black eye.
Just as I was ready to get back to the computer, my home laptop died a death, so I had to select a replacement and then reload all the archives and other material from backups that I regularly take. (You *do* backup your computer, yes?)
So here I am again, with one of my favourite pastimes - sitting in front of a computer.
Showing posts with label safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label safety. Show all posts
Saturday, 3 October 2009
Friday, 24 August 2007
Where are all the scientists?
As has become a habit over the last few years, the release of the GCSE results has been accompanied by comment in the media on the decreasing numbers of students taking mathematics or science.
Personally I am not surprised. What role models do our youngsters have? What is portrayed in the very media that bewail the lack of science students? It seems to me that the only role models portrayed are the sports personalities and the celebrities of the showbiz world. Whenever scientists appear, they are often portrayed as badly dressed, speaking words that most people do not understand and frequently lacking in social graces.
Also, perhaps, our concern for the safety of the pupils in schools has led to the curtailment of many experiments in classrooms. Science is now seen by many as 'boring' as much content is conveyed by watching videos. Gone are the times when pupils were let loose with geiger counters and radioactive materials (even though they were less active than the luminous paint used in the wrist watches of those days!), microwave transmitters (er, what about the mobile phones most youngsters now carry in their pockets?), static electricity generators and reactive chemicals. They were the things that excited me and instilled in me a love of science. How do teachers convey the excitement of science, if all the pupils can do is sit and watch?
Personally I am not surprised. What role models do our youngsters have? What is portrayed in the very media that bewail the lack of science students? It seems to me that the only role models portrayed are the sports personalities and the celebrities of the showbiz world. Whenever scientists appear, they are often portrayed as badly dressed, speaking words that most people do not understand and frequently lacking in social graces.
Also, perhaps, our concern for the safety of the pupils in schools has led to the curtailment of many experiments in classrooms. Science is now seen by many as 'boring' as much content is conveyed by watching videos. Gone are the times when pupils were let loose with geiger counters and radioactive materials (even though they were less active than the luminous paint used in the wrist watches of those days!), microwave transmitters (er, what about the mobile phones most youngsters now carry in their pockets?), static electricity generators and reactive chemicals. They were the things that excited me and instilled in me a love of science. How do teachers convey the excitement of science, if all the pupils can do is sit and watch?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
