School of Mathematics, Statistics & Applied Mathematics

An 'Undergraduate Ambassador' Module in Mathematics at NUI Galway

 

This elective module will offer students the opportunity to be placed with a teacher in a second level school. During this placement, the student will engage in activities supporting the mathematical learning of the second level students. These activities will include classroom observation and assistance, direct teaching, coordination of extra-curricular mathematical activities, and a special project of the student’s own devising. The civic engagement dimension of their activity will give students space to explore their sense of social responsibility, and to experience the reward arising from successful personal contribution to a collaborative learning effort.

 

School of Natural Sciences

Science Makes Sense

 

Lindsay Cody joined the NCBES in 2005 and was appointed Communications Officer in 2007. Since that time she has worked to expand the public engagement initiatives of the Centre. She has a BA (Hons) in Humanities from McGill University, a Graduate Diploma in Journalism and is currently working toward a MA in Science Communication from DCU. Her research examines the public engagement of science within the field of biomedical science and the ways in which it is driven by/drives the Web. In her role as Communications Officer, Lindsay oversees communications, public relations and events for the Centre.

In this module students will be encouraged to reflect critically on the place of science and technology in society, and scientific, ethical, moral and social issues arising from contemporary science and technology will be explored. They will work with primary school teachers and students to present the science curriculum through the use of different teaching meth¬ods, to reflect on how individuals learn and thus how best to communicate scientific material effectively to a lay audience. Through issues such as the children’s interest in and attitude towards science, students will examine the difficulties in learning science and the various forms of communication that are effective. In addition, communication with teachers, many of whom have limited access to up-to-date scientific training, will provide an invaluable added dimension which itself may be subject to investigation and reflection.