At a time when points for science and technology courses are rising for the fourth year in a row, a quarter of schools in the country don’t offer students a chance to study physics. Physics is at the heart of all technology and gives students a method for solving problems.
There is a new physics course to allow students to work together to solve real world problems. This course is based on a decade of research by Declan Holmes of Science Ireland into the best methods of teaching science to students. Declan has presented interactive science shows to over 70,000 students in 1,000 schools around the country.
The target audience originally was senior cycle Leaving Certificate students but after a large response from younger students, the course will now be offered to juniors (8-13) and seniors (14+). The only difference between the courses being a focus on exams for the senior cycle students.
Students will be challenged to find the radius and weight of the earth, discover the forces that holds the universe together. They will learn to design circuits from radios to robots and will get experience of engineering from building clocks to launching rockets. Teams will solve real world problems like investigating the science behind a car accident, to finding the speed and cause of the crash. Students will see the career options in physics from opticians, physiotherapists to crime scene investigators.
The course aims to develop students’ skills in solving “real-world” problems as well as improving communication and mathematical ability. Teams of students will be asked questions and they will work together to discover the laws of physics. The latest technology will be used throughout the course with students voting online and collecting experimental data using hardware that students program themselves.
The course will run every second Saturday and the full course will run over an 18 month period; students also have the option to take one or two modules only.
An open evening will be held on Thursday 21st March 2013 at 7pm in the Castlebar Celtic Clubhouse just behind the library in Castlebar, all are welcome. For more information call Declan on 087 9176292 or email info@physics.ie
