SANCOR Newsletter -200 - Sancor home page - National Research ...

Page 17SANCOR NEWSLETTER #200When talking science alone does not get the message across!By Pavs PillayMarine Research Institute – UCT“Knowledge alone does not yield appropriateacon.” – Naomi Oreskes (2010)In June 2005 Steve Jobs, Apple Macintoshfounder, encouraged Stanford graduates to“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish” – nowhere canthe hunger for knowledge be more clearlyseen than in a young learners eyes whenthey gaze upon a marine touch tank or shudderin ancipaon and excitement whenasked to touch a starfish or squeak withdisbelief when you show them a picture of aSpanish dancer nudibranch or an animaonof an ocean glider! Inially young learnershave an innate respect for the planet and itsresources but then they grow up!By the me learners get to high school,many have lost the thirst for knowledgealong with a decline in the understanding ofscience. Even more startling there seems tobe a loss of concern in the environmentshealth and a dislocaon from being part ofthe earth’s ecosystem. Along with this disassociaonfrom and disinterest in the naturalenvironment, many live in a world of instantmessaging, Facebook, Twier, bbming andreality television, a combinaon of instantsasfacon and short‐term success. So howdo we keep learners hungry for science andbased on the current environmental criseswe are facing, how do we get them to thinkand act responsibly?One way through which Ma‐Re is trying toget learners submerged into marine scienceand related environmental aspects isthrough learner parcipaon in the teachingprocess and in integrang current socialmedia networks (Facebook, Twier etc.) intofun and engaging acvies. Most effecveundertakings have involved geng leanerscompletelyimmersedin thetask.Oneacvitythat hasparcularlyworkedwell hasbeenthedevelopment of a murder mystery gamearound a marine theme.Picture this – a fishing vessel that is notoriouslyknown for illegal fishing comes intoport with a dead observer on board. Analysesof the evidence and the blood found atthe crime scene reveals that the blood wasnot only the vicm’s blood but also theblood of another person (possible the killer).The game comprises of developing charactersketches of the observer, the fishing crew,the fishing company, and various other nefariouscharacters. The more creave youare the beer the game! Get a cast of postgraduatestudents together to act out thecharacters. Then set the scene for the learnersand get them to solve the murderthrough interviews and observaon of astaged crime scene. Go even as far as sengup a fake Facebook page or Twier accountwith news of the death, the illegal fishingand using your mobile phone send updates,giving clues and misinformaon during thegame. Give the learners access the site byprojecng the Facebook page via a dataprojector on a wall in the room. CSI – MarineScience Style!The game is highly interacve with the learnersconducng interviews with charactersand false pieces of informaon and evidencebeing fed to them. All the while learnerslisten and learn, by mere conversaon, readingthe Facebook page, interacon andsomemes interrogaon, about DNA, DNAprofiling, the DNA database, marine observers,sustainable marine resource, SASSI, thefishing industry etc. Aer two, somemesthree fun‐filled hours, learners using justobservaonal and circumstanal evidencepredict who the killer(s) are. You then revealthe killer(s) using DNA sequencing along withother more conclusive observaonal evidence– something that you would havesetup at when developing the game. Whenleaving the classroom, amidst much chaerand excitement, learners say that the sessionhas made them eager to learn more aboutsolving a murder using DNA, illegal fishing,the power of observaon and wanng to beforensic sciensts, marine biologists andsome such things, all the while sharing talesand anecdotes of their interviews with thecharacters in the most animated ways.Clearly then using such methods and mechanismsof outreach Ma‐Re hopes to keepyoung learners staying “hungry” forknowledge and a lile less “foolish”.