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Children's lit in the lab

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University of Brighton
University of Brighton

Zahra Amlani discusses integrating children's literature into science teaching to make it more engaging for students. She faced barriers like departmental silos and perceptions that science and art are separate. Her successful methods included finding a unique voice to connect emotionally, using storytelling techniques in lessons, and immersing students in stories to learn science concepts. This led to benefits like students enjoying and discussing science more both in and out of class.

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THE DARWINIAN EVOLUTION OF A BOOK WIELDING SCIENCE TEACHER Zahra Amlani M.Ed Critical Approaches to Children¡¯s Literature
Can you ?nd the connection between these images?
Structure of talk Rationale for integrated approach Roadblocks I faced 3 Methods I have used successfully Outcomes
The word Science comes from the Greek ¡°to cut¡±. The word Art comes from the Latin ¡°to join¡±.
Rationale * Children¡¯s science written work was dull and devoid of emotional resonance * I wanted to share my passion with pupils * Children¡¯s excitement for reading not carried through into science classroom
Scienti?c skills Curiosity Ability to make meaningful connections Being open to possibilities Creativity Enquiring mind
Roadblocks I faced * Departmental nature of school * Acceptance of dichotomy among teaching practitioners * Time constraints within scienti?c curricula * Pupil ¡®buy-in¡¯
Why children¡¯s literature? ¡®In writing about science I have made reference to children¡¯s books far more frequently than to adult literary works. This is not an accident. In children¡¯s literature we are at the roots of science - pure, childlike curiosity, eyes open with wonder to the fresh and the new, and powers of invention still unfettered by convention and expectation.¡¯ (Chet Raymo Dr Seuss and Einstein: Children¡¯s books and the scienti?c imagination¡¯.
3 KEY METHODS 1. UNIQUE VOICE 2. STORYTELLING 3. IMMERSION
FINDING A VOICE * All scientists need to communicate. * How the mechanics of non?ction writing perform an identical role to the beginning, middle and end of ?ctional tales. * Connect emotionally with reader (use of metaphor, analogies etc.) * Scientists as a conduit between abstract concepts and the public. They achieve this through language.
HEARING METAPHORS ACTIVATES BRAIN REGIONS INVOLVED IN SENSORY EXPERIENCE George Lako? and Mark Johnson, in their landmark work ¡®Metaphors we live by¡¯, pointed out that our daily language is full of metaphors. New brain imaging research reveals that a region of the brain important for sensing texture through touch, the parietal operculum, is also activated when someone listens to a sentence with a textural metaphor. The same region is not activated when a similar sentence expressing the meaning of the metaphor is heard. The results were published in the journal Brain & Language. Regions of the brain activated by hearing textural metaphors are shown in green. Yellow and red show regions activated by sensory experience of textures visually and through touch.
On Darwin, Gopnik has said: ¡°(he) needed more than his extraordinary skills as observer and scienti?c theorist. He was a writer...his metaphors and similes do what we might call extra-scienti?c work, even as they serve science.¡±
THE PROACTIVE BRAIN: USING ANALOGIES AND ASSOCIATIONS Rather than passively ¡®waiting¡¯ to be activated by sensations, it is proposed that the human brain is continuously busy generating predictions that approximate the relevant future. Rudimentary information is extracted rapidly from the input to derive analogies linking that input with representations in memory. The linked stored representations then activate the associations that are relevant in the speci?c context, which provides focused predictions. These predictions facilitate perception and cognition by pre-sensitising relevant representations. Cognitive research has identi?ed semantic distance as a key determinant of the creativity of? analogical mapping (i.e., more distant analogies are generally more creative)
STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES * Science IS story! * The hush (stillness descends classroom) * Shared experience (intimacy and community) * Another kind of literary experience * Makes reading purposeful/meaningful * Neutral setting * Calming e?ect on pupils * Pleasure of direct experience * Powerful
HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY Signi?cance of plants Physics of Capitol gadgetry Mutations causing jabberjay species Nutrients needed for survival in poorer Districts
TWILIGHT SAGA Edward¡¯s diamond complexion, due to the titanium in the cell membrane reacting to light Edward¡¯s ability to sleep using only one cerebral hemisphere of their brain Vampires do not age because of apoptosis. Renesmee¡¯s blood group studies.
HARRY POTTER Smart clothes made from polymers which ¡®remember¡¯ their original shape Sorting hat and SQUIDs Apparation and quantum teleportation Bertie bott¡¯s every ?avour beans, the
OTHER TITLES
OUTCOMES * Personal enjoyment * Awesome creative work from pupils * Improved non?ction writing showing awareness of audience * Replicate success in other subject areas * Children thinking about science in out of class contexts * Children asking for book recommendations (yay!) * Shared classroom laughter....never underestimate having a great time!
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Children's lit in the lab

  • 1. THE DARWINIAN EVOLUTION OF A BOOK WIELDING SCIENCE TEACHER Zahra Amlani M.Ed Critical Approaches to Children¡¯s Literature
  • 2. Can you ?nd the connection between these images?
  • 3. Structure of talk Rationale for integrated approach Roadblocks I faced 3 Methods I have used successfully Outcomes
  • 4. The word Science comes from the Greek ¡°to cut¡±. The word Art comes from the Latin ¡°to join¡±.
  • 5. Rationale * Children¡¯s science written work was dull and devoid of emotional resonance * I wanted to share my passion with pupils * Children¡¯s excitement for reading not carried through into science classroom
  • 6. Scienti?c skills Curiosity Ability to make meaningful connections Being open to possibilities Creativity Enquiring mind
  • 7. Roadblocks I faced * Departmental nature of school * Acceptance of dichotomy among teaching practitioners * Time constraints within scienti?c curricula * Pupil ¡®buy-in¡¯
  • 8. Why children¡¯s literature? ¡®In writing about science I have made reference to children¡¯s books far more frequently than to adult literary works. This is not an accident. In children¡¯s literature we are at the roots of science - pure, childlike curiosity, eyes open with wonder to the fresh and the new, and powers of invention still unfettered by convention and expectation.¡¯ (Chet Raymo Dr Seuss and Einstein: Children¡¯s books and the scienti?c imagination¡¯.
  • 9. 3 KEY METHODS 1. UNIQUE VOICE 2. STORYTELLING 3. IMMERSION
  • 10. FINDING A VOICE * All scientists need to communicate. * How the mechanics of non?ction writing perform an identical role to the beginning, middle and end of ?ctional tales. * Connect emotionally with reader (use of metaphor, analogies etc.) * Scientists as a conduit between abstract concepts and the public. They achieve this through language.
  • 11. HEARING METAPHORS ACTIVATES BRAIN REGIONS INVOLVED IN SENSORY EXPERIENCE George Lako? and Mark Johnson, in their landmark work ¡®Metaphors we live by¡¯, pointed out that our daily language is full of metaphors. New brain imaging research reveals that a region of the brain important for sensing texture through touch, the parietal operculum, is also activated when someone listens to a sentence with a textural metaphor. The same region is not activated when a similar sentence expressing the meaning of the metaphor is heard. The results were published in the journal Brain & Language. Regions of the brain activated by hearing textural metaphors are shown in green. Yellow and red show regions activated by sensory experience of textures visually and through touch.
  • 12. On Darwin, Gopnik has said: ¡°(he) needed more than his extraordinary skills as observer and scienti?c theorist. He was a writer...his metaphors and similes do what we might call extra-scienti?c work, even as they serve science.¡±
  • 13. THE PROACTIVE BRAIN: USING ANALOGIES AND ASSOCIATIONS Rather than passively ¡®waiting¡¯ to be activated by sensations, it is proposed that the human brain is continuously busy generating predictions that approximate the relevant future. Rudimentary information is extracted rapidly from the input to derive analogies linking that input with representations in memory. The linked stored representations then activate the associations that are relevant in the speci?c context, which provides focused predictions. These predictions facilitate perception and cognition by pre-sensitising relevant representations. Cognitive research has identi?ed semantic distance as a key determinant of the creativity of? analogical mapping (i.e., more distant analogies are generally more creative)
  • 14. STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES * Science IS story! * The hush (stillness descends classroom) * Shared experience (intimacy and community) * Another kind of literary experience * Makes reading purposeful/meaningful * Neutral setting * Calming e?ect on pupils * Pleasure of direct experience * Powerful
  • 15. HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY Signi?cance of plants Physics of Capitol gadgetry Mutations causing jabberjay species Nutrients needed for survival in poorer Districts
  • 16. TWILIGHT SAGA Edward¡¯s diamond complexion, due to the titanium in the cell membrane reacting to light Edward¡¯s ability to sleep using only one cerebral hemisphere of their brain Vampires do not age because of apoptosis. Renesmee¡¯s blood group studies.
  • 17. HARRY POTTER Smart clothes made from polymers which ¡®remember¡¯ their original shape Sorting hat and SQUIDs Apparation and quantum teleportation Bertie bott¡¯s every ?avour beans, the
  • 19. OUTCOMES * Personal enjoyment * Awesome creative work from pupils * Improved non?ction writing showing awareness of audience * Replicate success in other subject areas * Children thinking about science in out of class contexts * Children asking for book recommendations (yay!) * Shared classroom laughter....never underestimate having a great time!