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Very true Steve. I was never the most sporty child, but I was obsessed with the Olympics (right up until the realisation that I didn't get any tickets to the Olympics that were being held down the road!). The Olympics are not about the superstars, they are about Eric the Eel, & Eddie the Eagle - people who are fulfilling their ambitions. They are about Shelly Rudman & Stephanie Cook. Athletes who have acheived massive success through dedicating themselves to their sport without the money and recognition given to footballers. To dismiss the Olympics as being irrelevant to ordinary kids, is to not understand the Olympics. You need to look beyond the headlines featuring Usain Bolt. Is Brian Cox the only scientist in the country? Shane On 21/10/2011 17:20, Steve Lacey wrote: > > Thankfully everyone is different. For those of us that enjoyed lessons > and played every sport going but hated Star Trek with a passion you > could only dream of, bringing the Olympics into the classroom would > have been fun. > > *From:*psci-com: on public engagement with science > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *Ian Simmons > *Sent:* 21 October 2011 16:47 > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: [PSCI-COM] Nuffield cross-curricular resources for > London 2012 > > I have to say that if I'd had Olympic themed STEM Lessons when I was a > student, those would have been the ones where I would have been > sitting in the back row trying to make fiendish things from stuff I'd > nicked from the equipment draws behind me, paying only the bare > minimum of attention sufficient enough to give the illusion of > involvement -- my group of friends at school viewed sport as something > that was provided to give the dimmer members of the community > something they could feel good about as they didn't thrive in real > lessons (not saying that is a valid view -- but when I was 13 and knew > everything....) and we were always baffled as to why people being good > at chucking things or kicking them should make us proud of our country. > > IAN > > Ian Simmons > > Science Communication Director > Centre for Life > Management Suite > Times Square > Newcastle upon Tyne > NE1 4EP > > Tel: +44191 2438250 > Fax: +44191 2438201 > Email: [log in to unmask] > > *Life - A Centre for world-class science* > > *Wallace & Gromit Present... A World of Cracking Ideas (16 April > - 30 October 2011)**www.life.org.uk/whats-on > <http://www.life.org.uk/whats-on>* > > Our mission is to inspire curiosity in science through imaginative > exhibitions and events, raise standards in science education and > support world-class scientific research. > > *From:*psci-com: on public engagement with science > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *annabel slater > *Sent:* 21 October 2011 11:39 > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: [PSCI-COM] Nuffield cross-curricular resources for > London 2012 > > Well, I can't point you to any nice statistical evidence, that's not > my research specialty :) But surely it's a given that more children > would become interested in sporting activity, than if the Olympics > were never mentioned. > > Other than that, I do think Olympics-themed lessons are a good way of > teaching STEM subjects. When I was a teacher it was good practice to > link lesson topics to national events and culture, than arbitrary > examples made up just for the sake of teaching subject concepts. > Still, that was in South Korea, where most of the children were highly > proud of their country. > > On Fri, Oct 21, 2011 at 11:09 AM, David Waldock > <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: > > An important and worthy objective, to be sure. > > Now, where's the evidence that swamping schools with Olympics actually > has that effect? > > (And I don't *hate* the Olympics, I just have a set of values which > rejects pretty much everything they stand for.) > > D > > On 21 October 2011 10:52, annabel slater <[log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: > > I thought we were meant to be encouraging younger generations to get > out and exercise a bit. Rather than, say, let them stay in, roll their > eyes, and get back to poking people on Facebook... > > Not everybody hates the Olympics. Even though I myself was pretty > inept at 70% of PE. > > On Fri, Oct 21, 2011 at 9:49 AM, Ian Simmons <[log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: > > With you all the way on this one -- I was rather hoping to book a > video game exhibition for 2012 and get it branded part of the Olympic > Cultural programme as geek revenge. Didn't quite come off though. > > IAN > > Ian Simmons > > Science Communication Director > Centre for Life > Management Suite > Times Square > Newcastle upon Tyne > NE1 4EP > > Tel: +44191 2438250 <tel:%2B44191%202438250> > Fax: +44191 2438201 <tel:%2B44191%202438201> > Email: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > > *Life - A Centre for world-class science* > > *Wallace & Gromit Present... A World of Cracking Ideas (16 April > - 30 October 2011)**www.life.org.uk/whats-on > <http://www.life.org.uk/whats-on>* > > Our mission is to inspire curiosity in science through imaginative > exhibitions and events, raise standards in science education and > support world-class scientific research. > > *From:*psci-com: on public engagement with science > [mailto:[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>] *On > Behalf Of *David Waldock > *Sent:* 19 October 2011 12:51 > *To:* [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > *Subject:* Re: [PSCI-COM] Nuffield cross-curricular resources for > London 2012 > > Perhaps this will come across as a silly question, but... > > Why would you WANT to bring London 2012 in to the classroom? > > Granted I think the Olympics a (semi-)professional sports in general > is a load of commercialised buzzcocks which promotes unattainable > standards for children and unrealistic expectations of reality (whilst > simultaneously sending some very odd messages about social values: > drugs get you a ban for life whilst physical violence gets you a short > ban; people who run/kick/chuck well are paid massively more than > people who, oh, I don't know, save lives and benefit society), and my > childhood was ruined (RUINED I tell you) by Star Trek: The Next > Generation being constantly cancelled for some sporting event or > another (you don't see a race meets or football or cricket matches > being cancelled for geek-approved TV shows do you?), but even given my > preformed cynicism, what the hecking flip has the Olympics got to do > with, well, anything? And why does the fact it's in London change the > fact that a bunch of athletes who claim to be amateur but actually > couldn't begin to compete unless they were paid full time to train and > pretend not to use performance-enhancing drugs and sound shocked and > horrified when someone fails a urine test but actually that muscle > definition and body shape doesn't happen without massive amounts of > steroids are going to run faster, jump higher and throw further than > anyone before build up a standard which maybe two or three school > children in all of Britain might achieve? And when do you get to > discuss that this celebritises people who have contributed nothing > meaningful to society? > > If this had been brought into my classroom, it would have excluded me > from the lessons, and frankly I suspect that it will have the same > effect on young people today. > > So where's the value, both of an athletics meet, and in acting as the > Olympic's PR team by bringing it into the classroom? > > Yours bitterly > > David > > On 19 October 2011 10:55, Sarah Botting > <[log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: > > Dear all, > > If you are encouraging schools to bring London 2012 into the > classroom, you may be interested in Nuffield's cross curricular STEM > project 'Games'. Our two STEM projects encourage pupils to explore > problems in depth through science, mathematics and design & > technology. Games is suitable for year 7/8, and develops learning > skills in addition to STEM content in the context of fitness, > fairness, and the design of games and sports equipment. It comprises > 16 hours of activities that can be used flexibly within the timetable, > or run as an off-timetable project culminating in individual pupil > projects. Freely available at > http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/nuffield-stem-games > > Nuffield STEM Futures is a more extensive project, more suitable for > years 8/9. It has been piloted, revised and evaluated in schools, with > enthusiastic reception. Based on designing for the future using what > we know about the closed loop economy used in natural systems, it > represents 28 hours of teaching time culminating in pupil inquiry > projects. > > The website provides some video case studies of how schools have used > this resource. The materials are also free from > http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/nuffield-stem-futures or email > [log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]> for a free disk with a > SCORM compatible version to upload to schools' virtual learning > environments. > > There are some CPD units to use with STEM departments in preparation > for running this project at > http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/futures-teacher-support-cpd > > Best wishes > > Angela > > Angela Hall, > Director, > Nuffield Foundation Science and Mathematics Education, > 28, Bedford Square, > London WC1B 3JS > > Sarah Botting > Senior Administrator > Science Bursaries & Oliver Bird Rheumatism Programme > The Nuffield Foundation > Tel: 020 7681 9626 > 28 Bedford Square > London WC1B 3JS > Find us on Facebook! > facebook.com/NuffieldUndergraduateResearchBursaries > <http://facebook.com/NuffieldUndergraduateResearchBursaries> > facebook.com/NuffieldScienceBursaries > <http://facebook.com/NuffieldScienceBursaries> > > > > > ********************************************************************** > Further information about the psci-com discussion list, including list > archive, can be found at the list web site: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/psci-com.html > You may also change your settings and subscribe/unsubscribe to > psci-com from the web site. > > Psci-com is part of the National Academic Mailing List Service, known > as 'JISCMail'. > It adheres to the JISCMail Acceptable Use Policy: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/acceptableuse.html > and to the JISCMail guidelines for etiquette: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/etiquette.html > > Email commands: > 1. 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