Teaching science and technology using African and European illustrations drawn from everyday life Assoc.Professor

This paper describes evidence that interested members of the public can acquire increased insights and awareness of science and technology if they experience relatively informal lessons containing stimulating science and technology practical exemplars and illustrations drawn from everyday public life situations. At UCT we have developed many successful teaching methods and techniques, using numerous supplementary real life examples, for the specific purpose of bringing science and technology textbook principles to the public, and students, and vice versa. These resources include: (1) an annual four day field camp; (2) model construction using discarded household materials; (3) case studies of scientific moral dilemmas in the public domain; (4) creation of analogies using terminology from other areas of academic disciplines; (5) technology syllabus creation using from a single item of public hardware; and (6) visits to public sites and departments to study an! d teach applications of scientific and technological textbook principles in other disciplines.