A glimpse of ICASE World Conference 2007
(Part 4)
The third day of the World Conference 2007 (10th July 2007) was a lined up of a packed program of Science Breakfast at University of Western Australia; keynote address by Professor Howard Gardner from Harvard Graduate School of Education; Science Technicians’ Program; ICASE Facilitated Discussion; ASTA Forum; International Interactions; Poster Presentations; Tastes of Western Australian Happy Hour and Trade Displays; and the Conference Dinner.
The intriguing Science Breakfast at the University Club of Western Australia invited the seated guests to listen to brief welcoming and closing remarks and three fascinating researches while having breakfast. The programme includes Welcoming speech by Professor Alistar Robertson, Dean of Natural and Agricultural Sciences; followed by Professor Sarah Dunlop, a professional fellow (Research) and Senior Fellow at the School of Animal Biology whom shared her research on ‘Brain Training.’ The other 10-mintes talk were ‘Science Education’ by Professor Grady Venville from the graduate School of Education; and finally ‘Sleeping research at UWA’ presented by Assistant Professor Peter Eastwood, an R Douglas Wright Fellow and a member of the School of Anatomy and Human Biology. Professor George Stewart, Dean of Faculty of Life and Physical Sciences close the morning breakfast with an overview of all the speakers.
Upon returning to the conference venue, Professor Howard Gardner from Harvard Graduate School of Education began his address on Multiple Intelligences (MI) by recounting some of the early history of psychology and, specifically IQ testing. He believed that psychology – which always suffered ‘physics envy’ would evolve away from the overtly metric approach into biology. In so doing the Eurocentric ‘IQ as an entity measured by a test’ view would change: less of the single heritable gene for smartness and more of the Asian view that effort and motivation count. According to him, intelligence is the biopsychological potential to process information in certain ways in order to solve problems or fashion products that are valued in a culture. At present schools, he said, rate students almost exclusively on linguistic and logical intelligences. A better way would be to make education individual-centred; finding out what the students want, assessing their strengths and starting from that point. He added, schools that catered for the MI of young children provide environments that cultivate the various modalities equally, letting the children determine learning. Professor Gardner highlighted Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words – character is more important than intellect.
Other events that took place were daily field trips to various interesting places including Astronomy at Trinity College; Australian Resources Research Centre; Winery Tour; Kings Park; Biodiversity Conservation Centre; Environmental Technology Centre at Murdoch University; Naturaliste Marine Discovery Centre and Stromatolite and Beach Sands.
It was quite amazing to see a wide age-range of participants in this conference – the oldest delegate was Mr. Lance Strickland, 91 years old – a member of CONASTA and a former school teacher. The youngest was Miss Sam Mofflin, another member of CONASTA, aged 16 years old.
(Part 4)
The third day of the World Conference 2007 (10th July 2007) was a lined up of a packed program of Science Breakfast at University of Western Australia; keynote address by Professor Howard Gardner from Harvard Graduate School of Education; Science Technicians’ Program; ICASE Facilitated Discussion; ASTA Forum; International Interactions; Poster Presentations; Tastes of Western Australian Happy Hour and Trade Displays; and the Conference Dinner.
The intriguing Science Breakfast at the University Club of Western Australia invited the seated guests to listen to brief welcoming and closing remarks and three fascinating researches while having breakfast. The programme includes Welcoming speech by Professor Alistar Robertson, Dean of Natural and Agricultural Sciences; followed by Professor Sarah Dunlop, a professional fellow (Research) and Senior Fellow at the School of Animal Biology whom shared her research on ‘Brain Training.’ The other 10-mintes talk were ‘Science Education’ by Professor Grady Venville from the graduate School of Education; and finally ‘Sleeping research at UWA’ presented by Assistant Professor Peter Eastwood, an R Douglas Wright Fellow and a member of the School of Anatomy and Human Biology. Professor George Stewart, Dean of Faculty of Life and Physical Sciences close the morning breakfast with an overview of all the speakers.
Upon returning to the conference venue, Professor Howard Gardner from Harvard Graduate School of Education began his address on Multiple Intelligences (MI) by recounting some of the early history of psychology and, specifically IQ testing. He believed that psychology – which always suffered ‘physics envy’ would evolve away from the overtly metric approach into biology. In so doing the Eurocentric ‘IQ as an entity measured by a test’ view would change: less of the single heritable gene for smartness and more of the Asian view that effort and motivation count. According to him, intelligence is the biopsychological potential to process information in certain ways in order to solve problems or fashion products that are valued in a culture. At present schools, he said, rate students almost exclusively on linguistic and logical intelligences. A better way would be to make education individual-centred; finding out what the students want, assessing their strengths and starting from that point. He added, schools that catered for the MI of young children provide environments that cultivate the various modalities equally, letting the children determine learning. Professor Gardner highlighted Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words – character is more important than intellect.
Other events that took place were daily field trips to various interesting places including Astronomy at Trinity College; Australian Resources Research Centre; Winery Tour; Kings Park; Biodiversity Conservation Centre; Environmental Technology Centre at Murdoch University; Naturaliste Marine Discovery Centre and Stromatolite and Beach Sands.
It was quite amazing to see a wide age-range of participants in this conference – the oldest delegate was Mr. Lance Strickland, 91 years old – a member of CONASTA and a former school teacher. The youngest was Miss Sam Mofflin, another member of CONASTA, aged 16 years old.
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