When
Wednesday 5th Feb, 12:00 pm

Where
Auditorium

Hashtag
#W11

Category
Insight

Presenter
Jasmine Leong

Abstract

Popular science writers Ian Cohen and Jack Stewart wrote, “A lie-to-children is a statement that is false, but which nevertheless leads the child’s mind towards a more accurate explanation, one that the child will only be able to appreciate if it has been primed with the lie.”

Science education is full of examples of such ‘lies-to-children’, from Bohr’s model of the atom to how genes lead to phenotypes. By better understanding the history and philosophy of science, science educators can discuss their views on how to contribute to the community’s efforts to educate people in science.

This talk will present the changing focus between CSIRO Publishing’s print magazines – Scientriffic (for children) and The Helix (for teens) – as a case study in how a philosophical structure informs decisions in how to communicate complex topics to a scientifically naive audience.