Neil deGrasse Tyson is a one of my favourite astrophysicists (as well as subject of the fairly popular meme below from http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/neil-degrasse-tyson-reaction).
A lesson I developed for the Space Exploration Unit in grade 9 Science for one of my classes at OISE involved the following video based on Neil deGrasse Tyson audio clips:
The discussion...
In the lesson, the video was meant to stimulate discussion on the ethics of funding space exploration. For that lesson, I kept the discussion centred around the ethics of space exploration but it could easily broadened into a discussion about science funding in general. It can also be used as a starting point for Digital Citizenship conversations about reliable sources online and bias. Some interdisciplinary (Science, Math, Civics, History and Politics) discussion topics are:
- Bias in the video
- Funding space exploration with tax dollars
- Ethical issues with funding of science and scientific research in general
- What sources should we use to verify Neil's claims about NASA funding?
- Verify Neil's claim about cutting 4/10ths of 1% into the dollar bill
- How has the funding changed since the video was made?
- How does the funding of Canada's version of NASA, the Canadian Space Agency compare to NASA funding?
- What cultural impact has Chris Hadfield had with his tweets from the ISS?
In a class...
I think a good way to use the video is to flip it to the class for homework using something such as TED-Ed where you can add multiple choice and discussion questions and have students answer them at home before a class discussion. The questions can prompt Knowledge Construction where students to explore their preconceived notions about the topic and how their opinion may change after watching the video. The teacher receives the results and can structure activities and discussion prompts based on those opinions.
STSE
Space exploration funding is that it is a great example of an STSE issue (science, technology, society and the environment) that aligns with the [Grade 9 Science] curriculum and is also a good entry point for the implementation of the 21C framework. What I like about the secondary Science curriculum is that it stresses STSE issues (the ordering of expectations used to be skills then concepts then STSE but is now reversed to STSE then concepts then skills). This provides Science teachers with an opportunity to ask more open-ended and critical questions. [I actually think the extremely dense math curriculum could benefit from a similar structure]
On the 21C Continuum...
By no means does the idea reach the transformative end of the continuum by itself but it does start to get students' brains critically thinking about media and provides an opportunity for a great discussion in subjects that do not traditionally present such opportunities (Science). The is an opportunity for students to exhibit Skilled Communication, both in classroom discussions and in online discussion questions on TED-Ed, D2L or other platform. It also opens the doors to larger discussions on the Nature of Science and the impact of Science on culture.
2. Knowledge Construction: entry - adoption - adaptation - infusion - transformation
4. Skilled Communication: entry - adoption - adaptation - infusion - transformation
Neil deGrasse Tyson Extras
- More videos on the topic can be found at: http://www.penny4nasa.org/category/videos/
- This is an interesting link to a Neil deGrasse Tyson interview with Jian Ghomeshi on Q: http://www.cbc.ca/q/blog/2012/03/28/neil-degrasse-tyson-on-q/
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