Primary school students learning about electrical conductivity using simple props
Reaching schoolkids, and setting scientists up for outreach success
Bringing practising scientists to schools brings enormous benefits.
The FLEET Geeks program sees FLEET members performing science shows at primary schools and kindergartens, demonstrating physics with equipment not typically available to students.
The program brings scientists to the students, allowing them to ask questions about scientific phenomena seen in the show, everyday science, a career in science or whatever burning questions they have.
Hands-on learning is extremely effective in getting students to recall science lessons, so FLEET Geek programs involve the students in fun, easy exercises such as investigating static electricity (using a van de Graaff machine), thermal conductivity (the heat of coins) and induction (a magnet dropped down a copper tube).
Students also engaged with gravity and forces using a Newton’s cradle and weights, and angular momentum using a spinning stool.
Students are pushed to ask ‘why’, and to offer possible explanations for the phenomena observed.
As well as asking about physics in the show or in their lives, students are also encouraged to talk about scientists, and about studying or working in science.
The experiments inspire even young students with a sense of joy and magic, as well as the knowledge that they too can be scientists, and right now – all they have to do is look around them and ask ‘why?’
FLEET Geeks exposes students to science role models, and helps challenges preconceived notions about scientists.
Before one primary school visit, students were asked what a scientist does, and what a scientist looks like.
Many students didn’t know what a scientist does, or responded that scientists ‘make potions’. Drawings of a scientist were almost exclusively male, in particular men with crazy, white hair.
Challenged with the question “Why aren’t you wearing a lab coat?”, FLEET outreach coordinator Dr Dianne Ruka responded by describing different types of scientist. Her message was: “We don’t all wear lab coats, we don’t all work in a lab and not all scientists are men
with crazy white hair!”
In 2017, FLEET Geeks was trialled at primary schools and kindergarten, reaching students up to year 6. In 2018 FLEET will train more Centre members to deliver these activities, and expand the program to public places such as shopping centres.
Home Science and FLEET Geeks are designed to make science more accessible for students, and to spark interest and curiosity in STEM for Australians at a young age.
FLEET Geeks is a key component of FLEET’s developing ‘toolkit’ of science outreach that Centre members can dip into, ensuring that their science outreach is achievable and effective. All our experiments are trialled before being taken into schools, to ensure student engagement
and successful delivery.
The FLEET Geeks program connects practising scientists to schools, and sets Centre members up for success in delivering science outreach.
FLEET members are expected to perform at least 20 hours of science outreach per year.