What to teach in Science.

In last two years, I came to read few Science books, meant for average reader. The field of Science I explored was Quantum Physics and it mesmerized me, as it keeps doing ever since Schrodinger.  It opened a whole new world of wonder and also relatedness. I have begun to relate Science in the routine life; not as a tool that make our life easier but as a way of seeing human relations, social life, thinking and such. Meanwhile, I came across an article of  Richard Feynman where he opined that Quantum Physics should be introduced from Primary education as it is a subject of wonder; and Classical Physics should be introduced on Secondary stage as it has a lot of information and mathematics which the child finds boring and which takes away the potential Scientist away from its own field.

Basic Astronomy starts from standard 3 where the child is told that Sun is a source of Energy and Moon has no light. In one of Std-3 class, the teacher asked – Have you seen chandr (moon)? Children replied-No! It was a shock for the teacher. Then, she asked, have you seen chandamama(meternal uncle moon)?  YES !, everybody sung ! In standard-5, students come across names of constellations which they simply memorize. There are stories, very old and tested by time; about the constellations which can make the child see the sky at night to find the character of that story.

Today, student with visibility problems were given spectacles through the Primary Health Center. And so the students came up with the question, why one get numbers with the eye? Students who were given spectacles were feeling guilty as if it is their fault to catch this deficiency. Because everybody says that not eating proper food and watching T.V. are the ONLY reasons for this (and not the polluted environment.) Well, so we were talking about eyes and spectacles. We shared that there are many reasons for getting this deficiency but we can prevent it through healthy habits. Then, we opened Science textbook to get more information about the eye, though I did not have much expectation from the textbook, I just wanted to relate that our study has relation with our lives. There is a figure of eye and names of its parts and their function. I explained the data again. At a point, where I have to say that the pupil projects an upside down picture of the object and it is the brain that makes the picture straight and real. I was thinking how to explain this. I came up with this : close your eyes and see what your mother is doing. Can you see her? Yes? Without her being here before your eyes? That is the function of the brain! Now, can you say how a chocolate tests? Sweet, testy? How without having it in your mouth? Brain!

I think Quantum Physics works well HERE.

Now and then we also discuss about illness and its remedies and why and how of them. I mentioned that the pupil is flexible and it becomes wide or narrow according to the light.  We talked and checked what happens when we suddenly move from dark to light or from light to dark place. The eyes before me were widened. And students got into awe-how come the pupil behaves so? Because, it has its own intelligence.

I believe Quantum fits here.

I don’t know, with my very limited reading and knowledge, how to put Quantum in a textbook format. May be with some wonder-wrapped incident! What makes me thinking this is my childhood experience, where I saw my curiosity transformed into interest and dried up into facts and figures.