Curriculum, learning and teaching
Real science and global experiences Glenys Hart look at opportunities for students to become involved in scientific projects
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will encourage students to join the science community after leaving school and further contribute to the development of scientific knowledge. One example is Globe at Night, which engages volunteers in observing star visibility to map light pollution by using the Loss of the Night app. This can aid scientists’ measurement and understanding of the effects of light pollution on health, environment and society. The results are added to a database that scientists use to investigate the ecological, cultural and socioeconomic effects of increasing night illumination. Part way through 2018, worldwide citizen scientists had added 5,131 readings; a significant way towards their goal of 15,000 data points by the end of the year. Caring about global issues The fields that citizen science advances are diverse: ecology, astronomy, medicine, computer science, statistics, psychology, genetics, engineering and many more. Citizen science investigations allow huge collaborations on continental Spring |
Autumn
One of the major benefits of being in an international school is the chance for students and teachers to gain a global perspective. Teachers in international schools can take advantage of participating in citizen science projects that encourage the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge. Unpaid volunteers share and contribute to data monitoring and collection. This provides an ideal introduction for members of the school to become an active and involved part of the international science community, which will improve their chances of gaining good university places and better employment opportunities. Through such projects young people can easily become involved in researching and collecting data to uncover new knowledge. In some cases, students can see images from space that nobody else in the world has ever seen before. In other cases, they can contribute to uncovering the secrets of cancer cells. These are all memorable experiences that
| 2019
