CRITICAL APPROACH TO SCIENCE LEARNING

CRITICAL APPROACH TO SCIENCE LEARNING

R.V.G. Menon

Scientist and activist R.V.G. Menon has urged students to understand the principles involved in the slightest change or reaction and thus develop a critical approach to science learning.

He was speaking at the inaugural session of a three-day summer vacation programme on science learning organised by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) here on Monday.Dr. Menon encouraged the students to conduct ‘thought experiments’ on their own and to be open to alternative solutions.

Around 60 students studying in Classes VIII to X in various schools in the city are attending programme that will conclude with a session by the former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) G. Madhavan Nair on Wednesday.

              Monday’s forenoon session dwelled on issues such as solid waste management and briefly on the Madhav Gadgil committee report on the conservation of the Western Ghats.

The Bharatha Jana Vijnana Jatha president, K.K. Krishna Kumar, prompted the students to think how balanced ‘technological advancement’ was when on the one hand rockets could be propelled to space in seconds, but the issue of waste management lacked a concrete solution. Consensus regarding climate change was another critical issue that was not mentioned during debates or campaigning preceding the Lok Sabha polls, he said.

On Gadgil report

He also urged the students not to blindly accept products or theories being put forward by groups with vested commercial or political interests.Mr. Krishna Kumar went on to say that “there is no scientific report as thorough as the Gadgil committee report,” and that it was absurd to say the report was adverse to the people’s needs.“Science is a beautiful thing, and it is unfortunate that in many educational institutions it has been reduced to such a dry subject,” he added.KSCTE Executive Vice-President V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai presided.

Sessions

G.M. Nair, former director of the Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute; and Oommen V. Oommen, Chairman, Kerala State Biodiversity Board, led the sessions on the first day.C. Anil Kumar, Scientific Officer, KSCSTE, briefed the children on the various student-oriented programmes undertaken by the council, including fellowships, scholarships, visits to research institutes and financial and technical aid to implement project ideas.

Prof. John Kurakar