Classroom materials that help promote an awareness of the influence of science on our daily lives will be launched this morning by Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin. The materials are intended to help demystify science by showing how it surrounds us in our everyday lives.
Ms Hanafin will host a breakfast forum in Dublin at the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland for science teachers and organisations involved in the latest edition of the Science and Technology in Action package.
Now in its third year, the updated package is designed for secondary students. It encourages them to appreciate science in an everyday context. It helps teachers by discussing how science is taught in secondary schools, and how best to ensure students are aware of career opportunities in science and technology.
"It's another way of introducing science and society in the classroom," explained Anna Gethings, managing director of AG Education Services, which conceived and developed the package. "I think the real thing about science is the language and communication of it, and we try to introduce different ways of speaking about it in the classroom that are linked to a practical reality."
Teachers and technology industry representatives are taking part in this morning's forum. Representatives from about 20 public and private organisations - including the Health Research Board, the Department of Agriculture and Food, Wyeth, Ivax, Tullow Oil and the National Car Testing Service - will meet teachers.
"Teachers and industry don't get enough opportunity to talk to one another, and we will be asking them to discuss what does education want from industry and what does industry want from education," Ms Gethings explained.
