Jam Imsc20jan PDF

Science communication and education:
whose science, for whom?
R. Ramanujam
The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai
Tamil Nadu Science Forum
jam@imsc.res.in
http://www.imsc.res.in/∼jam
Meet the scientist
TNSF organizes interactions for scientists with children: this
one in a village near Aruppukottai.
I My 12-year old guide-in-chief, Kuruvamma.
IMSc January 20, 2020

Meet the scientist
I Trees, plants, medicinal herbs, birds, insects – she has
plenty to say, amazed at my claimed ignorance.

Meet the scientist
I Knows all about making ‘brown’ sugar, properties of
molasses.

Meet the scientist
molasses.
I Can identify many constellations in the nigt sky.

Meet the scientist
molasses.
I When I leave, I say Kuruvamma will make a great
scientist some day.

Meet the scientist
molasses.
I When I leave, I say Kuruvamma will make a great
scientist some day.
I Laughter: Sir, I never get more than 30 marks in science!

Manikandan’s question
Another scene, a village near Paramakkudi, interaction with

children.
I Manikandan: says he wants to become a scientist, when
he grows up.


children.
he grows up.
I Probing a bit, we learn that his goal is to design an idly
machine.


children.
he grows up.
machine.
I What are the chances that Manikandan can / will do so?


children.
he grows up.
machine.
I What are the chances that Manikandan can / will do so?
I How does our education system relate to technology in
general?

Silent classrooms
I Children rarely talk science.

Silent classrooms

I Children rarely talk science in the classroom.

Silent classrooms

I Children do not get many opportunities to do science,
outside the classroom, especially at home.

Silent classrooms

I Children do not get many opportunities to do science,
outside the classroom, especially at home.
I Rural children, especially girls, can rarely see themselves
as scientists.

Lesson in science communication
A village near Chengalpattu: we go with a telescope, for a

night sky session.
I The plan is to show Jupiter.


night sky session.
I The attempt was a big failure.


night sky session.
I One small change in the programme, and it became a big
success.


night sky session.
I One small change in the programme, and it became a big
success.
I Recent experiences in the International Year of
Astronomy; Transit of Venus; Eyes on Ison; Eclipses ...

Dengue outbreak in 2017
The Tamil Nadu government was distributing Nilavembu juice

in many places.
I Question in a college: does Nilavembu cure dengue ?


in many places.
I Almost everyone had a vehement ‘yes’ or a vehement ‘no’.


in many places.
I Discussion was largely on an emotional plane.


in many places.
I Discussion was largely on an emotional plane.
I What ever happened to evidence based reasoning ?

Science, a compulsory subject in school
1968 National Policy on Education.
I 1986 Policy on Education:
. . . all areas of development are science and
technology based and for that we need experts,
middle - order workers and scientifically literate
citizens.
I It specifies how the curriculum should be designed:
. . . for conscious internalization of healthy work
ethos. This will provide valuable manpower for
economic growth as well as for ideal citizenship
to live effectively in the science/technology
based society.

The scientific temper
The National Curriculum Framework 2005 sounds very

different.
I Science education should enable the learner to
acquire the skills and understand the methods
and processes that lead to generation and
validation of scientific knowledge.
I Emphasis on processes: experimentation, making
observations, collection of data, classification, analysis,
making hypotheses, drawing inferences, and arriving at
conclusions for the objective truth.

The scientific temper
The National Curriculum Framework 2005 sounds very

different.
I Science education should enable the learner to
acquire the skills and understand the methods
and processes that lead to generation and
validation of scientific knowledge.
I Emphasis on processes: experimentation, making
observations, collection of data, classification, analysis,
making hypotheses, drawing inferences, and arriving at
conclusions for the objective truth.
I DNEP 2019 speaks of critical thinking.

A huge gap
A huge gap between the perceived goals of science education

and what actually takes place in the classroom.
I How does the prevalent curriculum and pedagogy
generate ‘manpower’ for economic growth in an
‘S&T-based society’ ?
I How does it create the scientific temper in children ?
I Does Kuruvamma have any hope of joining the ”experts,
middle-order workers and scientifically literate citizens”
that the former vision calls necessary ?
I Or can Kuruvamma expect to understand the processes
of science, internalize them ?

Right to Education
Quality education as a right is a recent concept for our society.
I We expect that the state guarantees the right to
education for every child, and provides mechanisms for
every child to access and participate in education till the
age when she or he may enter the labour force.
I We further expect that a uniform curriculum and
pedagogy, determined by social choice and ensured by
social means, be available for every child.
I Conviction: Universal education is an instrument for
social equity.
I Does science education act as an instrument of social
equity ?

Another dimension
In India, science education is part of another agenda.

I The advent of mass education and western models of
science education in this country was accompanied by an
‘enlightenment’ mood.
I The understanding of science as a means of liberation
from casteist and religious domination of social practices.
I Science as an important weapon in the battle against
forces of obscurantism and superstition.
I Science education as an essential component of
modernization and social transformation.

Structure of social inequity
I Science education merely reflects inequity.

I In terms of academic performance, which is the passport
to economic upliftment, Kuruvamma has no hope of
”becoming” a scientist.
I In terms of processes that encourage critical thought,
that lead Kuruvamma towards freedom from fear and
prejudice, school science seems to be of no help
whatsoever.

Other important factors
There are major systemic issues.

I Kuruvamma’s identity as a rural dalit girl.
I She is a first generation learner.
I No books, no gadgets at home.
I Her school has no library nor laboratory.

Little beyond textbook
I The idioms of modern urban science learning are alien to

Kuruvamma.
I No planetaria, no ”science city”, no internet.
I The state supplied text book is her sole link to formal
science.
I Experiments are at best seen from a distance once in a
few weeks, and at worst non-existent.

Rejected by science
I What Kuruvamma knows is not acknowledged as

knowledge.
I Her extensive familiarity with the world around her, her
hands-on experience with all processes around her, her
ability to make things grow, to shape things and to
connect to nature, are considered irrelevant.
I In school, she learns that whatever science might be, it is
not something she is at home with.
I School typically teaches her to see technology as given,
not constructed.

Kuruvamma needs science
We cannot be romantic about Kuruvamma’s “traditional”

knowledge either.
I Kuruvamma does need modern science, the secrets that
books hold. She needs to travel beyond expriential
learning.
I Kuruvamma needs, even more, the language of science,
that insists on quantification.
I When she cannot speak this language, entry into the
world of science is denied her. As in other forms,
language is a powerful means of social exclusion,
perpetuating inequity.

Mariamma’s question
An itinerant vegetable seller reacting to piles of books in our

house.
I They were adult education “primers” and I urge her to
join adult literacy class.
I She hesitates when she realised that she had to finish 3
books.


house.
books.
I Then she asks: If I finish these, will I be able to earn 5 to
10 rupees more per day?


house.
books.
I How would you answer Mariamma?


house.
books.
I How would you answer Mariamma?
I Interestingly, she never posed that question for her
daughter, who was in school then.

A centrality of concern
Quality mathematics education is a right.

I Even if we achieve our targetted universalization goals,
during the next decade, we will have a substantial
proportion of children exitting the system after Class 10.

A centrality of concern
Quality mathematics education is a right.

I Even if we achieve our targetted universalization goals,
during the next decade, we will have a substantial
proportion of children exitting the system after Class 10.
I It is then fair to ask what 10 years of school mathematics
offers for such children in terms of the challenges they
face afterwards.

What Mathematics has to offer
An important aim: turning out employable adults who

(eventually) contribute to social and economic development.
I Numbers and operations on them.
I Measurement of quantities.
I Fractions, percentages and ratios.
I Understanding of shapes, area and volume.
I Ability to set up simple equations and solve them.

Much more
I Polya: If there were a school for thinking, mathematics

would figure prominently as a subject in it.
I Clarity of thought and pursuing assumptions to logical
conclusions is central to the mathematical enterprise.
I There are ways of thinking, and the kind of thinking one
learns in mathematics is an ability to handle abstractions.
I It means to be able to solve mathematical problems, and
more generally, to have the right attitude for problem
solving and to be able to attack all kinds of problems in a
systematic manner.

The only arena
I At the elementary stage, mathematics provides the only

arena for formal problem solving.
I Indeed, mathematics and language education impart the
most critical “life skills” during the elementary stage.
I Problem solving then takes central space not only from
the mathematician’s viewpoint, but also as an essential
life skill.
I Indeed, the higher aims of mathematics education
coincide with the unabashedly utilitarian aspects of
Mariamma’s question.

Need for a movement
Public understanding of science is not something that can be

taken for granted.
I Science education should reflect the process of science.

Need for a movement

taken for granted.
I Science has a critical role to play in democratic processes,
and in governance.

Need for a movement

taken for granted.
I Science has a critical role to play in democratic processes,
and in governance.
I We need a movement to place science on the public
agenda.

Tamil Nadu Science Forum
A voluntary (dis)organization.
I Started in 1980 by a group of graduate students of the
University of Madras: T R Govindarajan and T
Jayaraman among them.
I The first event was a popular lecture on quantum
mechanics by our own Rajaji.
I My involvement started with a ‘popular’ talk on Gödel’s
theorem.
I I learnt that TNSF had started a magazine in 1987.

Thulir
A monthly children’s science magazine

in Tamil.
I A circulation of about 50,000 by
now.
I Read by children and adults,
mostly in rural areas.
I Teachers as sales agents.
I Thulir illams: Magazine clubs as
activity centres.

Other publications
By now TNSF has a range of periodicals and publications.

I Jantar Mantar: a bi-monthly for secondary level school
children in English, with significant contributions from
IMSc.

Other publications

IMSc.
I Vignyana Siragu: monthly discussions on science policy
for TNSF members.

Other publications

IMSc.
for TNSF members.
I Arivu Thenral: monthly broadsheet for neoliterates.

Other publications

IMSc.
for TNSF members.
I Vizhuthu: bimonthly for elementary school teachers.

Other publications

IMSc.
for TNSF members.
I Vizhuthu: bimonthly for elementary school teachers.
I Book(let)s, at least 10 new titles each year.

Science Festivals
Celebrating science learning.

I 2- to 5-day events.
I About 200 children in a festive
atomsphere.
I The theme is Joyful learning.
I Metric Melas !
I Nature Walks.

Low cost / no cost experiments
All our activities / games use low cost

material, preferably from junk.
Indumathi and Murthy have done a
large number of workshops.
I Emphasis on group activities,
group games.
I Preferably have children collect
material required.
I Engaging every child is given top
priority.

Integrated modules
School curricula are so compartmentalized, there is a need for

re-integration.
I Integrated science modules.
I Science in the kitchen, light, paper, trees, ponds,
beaches, . . .
I Stories, songs and painting.
I Bicycle.

Children’s Science Congress
Started by us in 1993 as a reaction to

the Indian Science Congress.
I Children do science projects over 2
months (Aug-Oct).
I Present it in a conference like
format.
I District level, state level and
national level.
I The national has nearly 1500
children participating, presenting
in more than 20 languages.

The teachers’ network
A non-electronic network of school teachers.

I Vizhuthu, a bi-monthly magazine in Tamil.
I More than a 1000 teachers in about 15 districts.
I Monthly day-long meetings.
I We used to have monthly non-routine problem solving
days in 8 districts.

Science on the street!
Interactive slide show presentations.

I Cosmos, Solar system, Health,
Environment, Peace,
Communalism, . . .
I In schools, but also street corners.
I Emphasis on interaction,
discussion.

Songs, theatre
The use of folk media is central to the

methodology.
I Street theatre: plays with stylized props,
enacted on street corners (Brechtian
style).
I Popular ones: Blood, Cholera, Saraswati,
Pon Kunju, Poison, . . .
I Songs are a very powerful medium, we
have more than 100 by now.
I Kalajathas: travelling troupes of about 15
persons.

Science for neoliterate women
TNSF now works with about 2000

groups of neoliterate women.
I Each has about 20 women, who
meet once every week.
I They meet with a booklet in hand;
a broadsheet once a month.
I We put together a special
curriculum: astronomy and health
but also optimization and
probability!

Kolams
Kolams, drawn every day by neoliterate

women all over TN.
I Classification of kolams.
I Symmetries and transformations.
I Formal communication.

Leonid showers in Lingampatti
November 18, 2001.

I A TNSF group, waiting for the
Leonid meteorite showers.
I Hours of waiting with little to see.
I Six year old Maran: Are there
people in other stars, also waiting
for these?

March for science
Major concerns articulated by scientists across the world:

I Encouraging public officials to make policies based on
scientific facts and evidence
I Opposing political attacks on the integrity of science
I Encouraging the public to support science
I Seeking funding for scientific research
I Promoting science education and scientific literacy among
the public

Indian context
Let us not forget the specific concerns relevant to the Indian

context.
I Science as an important weapon in the battle against
forces of obscurantism and superstition.
I Science education as an essential component of
modernization and social transformation.

Science and modernity
The aggressiveness of nationalist sentiment in recent times.

I A systematic attempt at rejection of ‘western science’, to
discover ‘Indian’ roots in science.


I The debate should not be ‘traditional’ vs ‘modern’ but
‘scientific’ vs ‘unscientific’.


I Confusing the need for a non-Euro-centric history of
science with glorification of an imagined past.


I Confusing the need for a non-Euro-centric history of
science with glorification of an imagined past.
I The culture of public debate needs to be informed by the
scientific temper.

Environmentalism
One of the most urgent needs for us is conservation of our

environment.
I But there is a whole new breed of romantic
environmentalism that is not rooted in science.

Environmentalism

environment.
I Mostly this leads to anti-science attitudes.

Environmentalism

environment.
I Understanding the needs of development and environment
together means grappling with complexity, resisting quick
and unscientific conclusions.

Environmentalism

environment.
I Understanding the needs of development and environment
together means grappling with complexity, resisting quick
and unscientific conclusions.
I This is a serious danger confronting us.

Last words
Half the world’s population lives in Asia.
I How we lead our lives and shape our national
development has an impact on the whole world.

Last words
I The gravest issues before humanity are perhaps poverty
alleviation, climate change and global warming, and Asia
will play the most significant role in this regard in this
century.

Last words
century.
I We need to ensure that our society commits to science
and seeks solutions to its problems in a scientific manner;
this means a democratically rooted confidence in S&T.

Last words
century.
I We need to ensure that our society commits to science
and seeks solutions to its problems in a scientific manner;
this means a democratically rooted confidence in S&T.
I Only when critique, experiment and dialogue are central
in the public arena, can science act as a tool for social
transformation.

Kuruvamma, tomorrow’s scientist?
I Kuruvamma can make a good scientist one day.


I Will she?


I Will she?
I Chances are, she will not.


I Will she?
I Chances are, she will not.
I Unless we take social equity in science education seriously
indeed.

Discussion time
Thank you.
Questions, comments, suggestions welcome; also, please write
to jam@imsc.res.in.

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Science communication and education:

whose science, for whom?

The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai

Tamil Nadu Science Forum

IMSc January 20, 2020

IMSc January 20, 2020

IMSc January 20, 2020

IMSc January 20, 2020

IMSc January 20, 2020

IMSc January 20, 2020

Another scene, a village near Paramakkudi, interaction with

IMSc January 20, 2020

Another scene, a village near Paramakkudi, interaction with

IMSc January 20, 2020

Another scene, a village near Paramakkudi, interaction with

IMSc January 20, 2020

Another scene, a village near Paramakkudi, interaction with

IMSc January 20, 2020

I Children rarely talk science.

IMSc January 20, 2020

I Children rarely talk science.

IMSc January 20, 2020

I Children rarely talk science.

IMSc January 20, 2020

I Children rarely talk science.

IMSc January 20, 2020

A village near Chengalpattu: we go with a telescope, for a

IMSc January 20, 2020

A village near Chengalpattu: we go with a telescope, for a

IMSc January 20, 2020

A village near Chengalpattu: we go with a telescope, for a

IMSc January 20, 2020

A village near Chengalpattu: we go with a telescope, for a

IMSc January 20, 2020

The Tamil Nadu government was distributing Nilavembu juice

IMSc January 20, 2020

The Tamil Nadu government was distributing Nilavembu juice

IMSc January 20, 2020

The Tamil Nadu government was distributing Nilavembu juice

IMSc January 20, 2020

The Tamil Nadu government was distributing Nilavembu juice

IMSc January 20, 2020

IMSc January 20, 2020

The National Curriculum Framework 2005 sounds very

IMSc January 20, 2020

The National Curriculum Framework 2005 sounds very

IMSc January 20, 2020

A huge gap between the perceived goals of science education

IMSc January 20, 2020

IMSc January 20, 2020

In India, science education is part of another agenda.

IMSc January 20, 2020

I Science education merely reflects inequity.

IMSc January 20, 2020

There are major systemic issues.

IMSc January 20, 2020

I The idioms of modern urban science learning are alien to

IMSc January 20, 2020

I What Kuruvamma knows is not acknowledged as

IMSc January 20, 2020

We cannot be romantic about Kuruvamma’s “traditional”

IMSc January 20, 2020

An itinerant vegetable seller reacting to piles of books in our