A Holistic module for science learning

Science, invariably called as the systematised knowledge, has always fascinated people because of its multitude inventions and applications.What incites me to write this blog is the craving to share and capture a few Takeaways of Science, which make it a fun way to learn.

Over the long long years of my study and teaching, my greatest Takeaway from Science is that, a keen observer comprehends rules fuller and faster. So, the keyword to learning/getting insight into Science is OBSERVATION. The more you observe (your surroundings-be them the man-made wonders like home, park, shopping mall, airport, seaport, factory on the one hand or the mother nature on the other hand) the better learning unfolds.

Let’s extrapolate it further. Will simply observing things- living or non-living, help you understand Science concepts or extract the laws of Science? The answer is’NO’. As introduced earlier that science is a systematised knowledge, so one needs to arrange/organise his/her observations.

I have devised a Six-Step Module, which I call ‘TOPPIC’ to understand any Science concept by experiencing.

T – Task that fascinates you

O – Observation

P– Point wise Penning down

P – see the Patterns like similarities, differences etc

I – Interpretation

C – Conclusion

Let’s show up with an example:-

Task– I see fluffy clusters flying freely in the air in front of my house all the time.

Observation – The fluffy clusters are breaking off from Alstonia tree in front of my house and flying everywhere.

Point wise penning down– 1.The fluffy clusters are seen in my backyard, driveway, on road in front of my house, under the tree, near the Colony Main Gate (which is about 30 metres away).

2. I took them in my hand and found them to be soft, light and hairy.

3. When I opened the cluster, they all separated out into individual units, each having a bead-like thing in the centre with hair all around.

Patterns– 1. The hairy clusters are all coming out of pod-like structures hanging from the tree.

2. All hairy units are alike.

3. They are moving to far and near places.

Interpretation– 1. Since, the hairy units are coming out of a pod-like structure (which is tree’s fruit),so these hairy units should be seeds.

2. Because these seeds are light and hairy, they are able to move to far off distances.
3. Seeds, when grown in soil, give rise to a new plant.

Conclusion– Seeds are dispersed by wind.