A glimpse of ICASE World Conference 2007
(Part 3)
The early morning of the second day (9th July 2007) of the 2nd ICASE World Conference 2007 invited delegates for a scenic walk at the Swan River. Delegates headed down Hill Street towards the river, turned left onto Terrace Road, turned right into Plain Street and cross riverside Drive at the traffic lights and walk East towards the Causeway to the Point Fraser, an award winning public recreation wetland reserve. The wetland treats stormwater from an urban catchment prior to its discharge to the Swan River. Delegates were initially warned to watch out for cyclists who often travel very fast on the dual path along the river.
The program is followed by a formal opening ceremony and a reflective, amusing yet insightful address by the first keynote speaker, Professor Lord Winston, a scientist and a science communicator from the Imperial College, UK. The theme of Professor’s Winston address was constant: science as a human enterprise advances when the people who practice it remain open minded and without hubris. ‘Science teachers share the respect that all teachers enjoy in public perception, however the task will be to provide means of attracting students into science first and then into science teaching. The position of high esteem alone will not cut it.’ Professor Winston also talked about the ‘failure’ of universities to link science with communication skills and ethical and commercial imperatives and philosophy. His final statements alluded to the need to properly reward teachers of science, the problem of lack of technicians and the issue of young teachers entering the profession with a greater debt load.
The program continued with a great list of parallel sessions consisting of highlighted speakers’ addresses, oral paper presentations, seminar and workshops till the end of the day; this includes my paper presentation on ‘Promoting Discussion in Secondary Science Classrooms’ in the Mt Newman Room at the Conference Level of the Sheraton Perth Hall. Other mini venues for the parallel sessions in the hotel include the Pilbara, Hammersley, Goldworthy, divided Golden Ballroom (North, Central and South) and the Presidential Suite. Another venue that catered sessions focusing on technicians and primary teachers took place in Mercedes College, about 5 minute walk from Sheraton Perth hotel.
The evening programme invited delegates to listen to a remarkable Stanhope Oration delivered by Dr. Graham Pearman on ‘The Climate Change Challenge: From Science to Action’. He began his presentation with a brief history of the awareness of the relationship between greenhouse gases and climate, around 150 years ago. He then developed his thesis that these understanding have been influenced and sometimes obscured by cultural and political expediences; lead to a considerable disconnect between a scientist explaining a complex model that predicts change, and for example, a politician’s ability to comprehend the nature or even possibility of that change. The evening session was followed by a reception after presentations of award to members of local teachers association.
“You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.”
Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642)
(Part 3)
The early morning of the second day (9th July 2007) of the 2nd ICASE World Conference 2007 invited delegates for a scenic walk at the Swan River. Delegates headed down Hill Street towards the river, turned left onto Terrace Road, turned right into Plain Street and cross riverside Drive at the traffic lights and walk East towards the Causeway to the Point Fraser, an award winning public recreation wetland reserve. The wetland treats stormwater from an urban catchment prior to its discharge to the Swan River. Delegates were initially warned to watch out for cyclists who often travel very fast on the dual path along the river.
The program is followed by a formal opening ceremony and a reflective, amusing yet insightful address by the first keynote speaker, Professor Lord Winston, a scientist and a science communicator from the Imperial College, UK. The theme of Professor’s Winston address was constant: science as a human enterprise advances when the people who practice it remain open minded and without hubris. ‘Science teachers share the respect that all teachers enjoy in public perception, however the task will be to provide means of attracting students into science first and then into science teaching. The position of high esteem alone will not cut it.’ Professor Winston also talked about the ‘failure’ of universities to link science with communication skills and ethical and commercial imperatives and philosophy. His final statements alluded to the need to properly reward teachers of science, the problem of lack of technicians and the issue of young teachers entering the profession with a greater debt load.
The program continued with a great list of parallel sessions consisting of highlighted speakers’ addresses, oral paper presentations, seminar and workshops till the end of the day; this includes my paper presentation on ‘Promoting Discussion in Secondary Science Classrooms’ in the Mt Newman Room at the Conference Level of the Sheraton Perth Hall. Other mini venues for the parallel sessions in the hotel include the Pilbara, Hammersley, Goldworthy, divided Golden Ballroom (North, Central and South) and the Presidential Suite. Another venue that catered sessions focusing on technicians and primary teachers took place in Mercedes College, about 5 minute walk from Sheraton Perth hotel.
The evening programme invited delegates to listen to a remarkable Stanhope Oration delivered by Dr. Graham Pearman on ‘The Climate Change Challenge: From Science to Action’. He began his presentation with a brief history of the awareness of the relationship between greenhouse gases and climate, around 150 years ago. He then developed his thesis that these understanding have been influenced and sometimes obscured by cultural and political expediences; lead to a considerable disconnect between a scientist explaining a complex model that predicts change, and for example, a politician’s ability to comprehend the nature or even possibility of that change. The evening session was followed by a reception after presentations of award to members of local teachers association.
“You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.”
Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642)
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