Directorate for
Quality and Standards
in Education
Teaching & Learning Science Together
V O L U M E
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I S S U E
1
N O V E M B E R
2 0 1 3
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Open Day For Teachers At The
Malta National Aquarium
Open Day For
Teachers At The
Malta National
Aquarium
1
School Contest
For Young
Scientists
1
elearning
Material For
Form 1 & 2
2
Our First Envoy
Entering
Interstellar Space 3
Revolutionary
Medicine
4
Exploring
Comino
6
The Malta National Aquarium in
collaboration with the Directorate
for Quality and Standards in
Education organised an Open Day
specifically for Integrated Science
and Biology teachers in Secondary
Schools. During this voluntary
activity organised in July, teachers
could explore the different sections
and facilities available in this unique
place. Along the guided visit, the
members of staff at the MNA stressed on the fact that they were looking forward to
collaborate with teachers in order to organise meaningful curriculum-related site
visits.
The Malta National Aquarium project was officially opened in September.
The aquarium has 26 display tanks with, amongst others, Mediterranean fish, including
fish commonly found in Maltese waters together with replicas of historical artefacts
that one can find in the seas around the Maltese islands. The main tank of the
aquarium houses species from the Indian Ocean, including eight black tip sharks, horn
sharks, rays, eels and other exotic species. The main tank is approximately 12 meters
in diameter and has a walk-through tunnel that allows visitors to experience the fish
at a much closer range.
School Contest For Young Scientists
SCIENTICX
7
Congratulations!
8
PlasticOceans
8
NSTF is once again organising its annual Science event.
Primarily, the contest aims to encourage young
students aged eleven to fourteen to team up in
groups, conduct their own research and develop their
own original scientific project. All the projects are
eventually exhibited during the NSTF Science Week
and a panel of judges adjudicate the students’ work.
The NSTF Science Expo organised in April.
More information about this event can be obtained by contacting NSTF on
[email protected]
eLearning Material for Form 1 and 2
Science classes
“The model of
instruction which
best reflects these
ideas about
learning is
inquiry-based
learning which
involves the use
of a planned
sequence of
instruction that
places the
students at the
centre of their
learning
experiences,
encouraging them
to explore,
construct
their own
understanding of
scientific
concepts and
relate to other
concepts”
The Directorate for Quality and Standards in
Education is presently working on an
important project to develop eLearning
material in seven core subjects, including in
Integrated Science, at Forms 1 and 2.
Under the leadership of the Science
Education Officer, Mr Mario Muscat, the
Heads of Department (state and non-state)
together with a number of eLearning support
teachers and other personnel attended a 3day training course in script writing. The
script writing of educational activities is the
first step which will transform the current
syllabus learning objectives into interactive
material to be used both in the classroom
and at home. This EU funded project will
soon provide another educational tool for
the teachers and learners to enhance learning
through an innovative, entertaining and
stimulating environment. The local
contributors in collaboration with a
Romanian partner,
SIVECO (http://www.siveco.ro/en) are
working together to ensure the success of
this project.
Short interactive learning
objects will be available for each and every
learning objective of the present Integrated
Science syllabus. Each interactive learning
objective will take 5 to 10 minutes to work
out in the classroom. A short assessment
will also be available for each lesson.
Through these ‘Reusable Learning
Objectives’ (RLOs), teachers will have at
hand a large number of learning tools
developed by local experts, who have long
years of teaching experience. The RLOs
being developed will facilitate the Inquiry
Based Approach being promoted in all
learning environments. Applications and
reasoning will be common features of these
eLearning tools.
All the eLearning material being developed
will be available both on Fronter and in DVD
format for all teachers (state and non-state)
in Malta.
Vision for
Science
Education in
Malta
A screen shot showing one of the interactive activities. Students are asked to place the energy
changes in their correct position.
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2
Our First Envoy Entering Interstellar Space
This article was adapted from the original article ‘NASA Spacecraft Embarks on Historic Journey Into
Interstellar Space’ found at http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft officially is the first
human-made object to venture into interstellar space.
The 36-year-old probe is about 19 billion kilometres
from our sun. New and unexpected data indicate
Voyager 1 has been traveling for about one year
through plasma, or ionized gas, present in the space
between stars.
Voyager 1 first detected the increased pressure of
interstellar space on the heliosphere, the bubble of
charged particles surrounding the sun that reaches far
beyond the outer planets, in 2004. Scientists then
ramped up their search for evidence of the
spacecraft's interstellar arrival, knowing the data
analysis and interpretation could take years.
Voyager 1 does not have a working plasma sensor, so
scientists needed a different way to measure the
spacecraft's plasma environment to make a definitive
determination of its location. A coronal mass
ejection, or a massive burst of solar wind and
magnetic fields, that erupted from the sun in March
2012 provided scientists the data they needed. When
this unexpected gift from the sun eventually arrived at
Voyager 1's location 13 months later, in April 2013,
the plasma around the spacecraft began to vibrate like
a violin string. On April 9, Voyager 1's plasma wave
instrument detected the movement. The pitch of the
oscillations helped scientists determine the density of
the plasma. The particular oscillations meant the
spacecraft was bathed in plasma more than 40 times
denser than what they had encountered in the outer
layer of the heliosphere. Density of this sort is to be
expected in interstellar space.
Voyager mission controllers still talk to or receive
data from Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 every day, though
the emitted signals are currently very dim, at about
23 watts - the power of a refrigerator light bulb. By
the time the signals get to Earth, they are a fraction of
a billion-billionth of a watt.
Data from Voyager 1's instruments are transmitted to
Earth typically at 160 bits per second, and captured
by 34- and 70-meter NASA Deep Space Network
stations. Traveling at the speed of light, a signal from
Voyager 1 takes about 17 hours to travel to Earth.
"Voyager has boldly gone where no probe has gone
before, marking one of the most significant
technological achievements in the annals of the
history of science, and adding a new chapter in human
scientific dreams and endeavours," said John
Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator for
science in Washington. "Perhaps some future deep
space explorers will catch up with Voyager, our first
interstellar envoy, and reflect on how this intrepid
spacecraft helped enable their journey."
Scientists do not know when Voyager 1 will reach the
undisturbed part of interstellar space where there is
no influence from our sun. They also are not certain
when Voyager 2 is expected to cross into interstellar
space, but they believe it is not very far behind.
The plasma wave science team reviewed its data and
found an earlier, fainter set of oscillations in October
and November 2012. Through extrapolation of
measured plasma densities from both events, the
team determined Voyager 1 first entered interstellar
space in August 2012.
"Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, were launched 16
days apart in 1977. Both spacecraft flew by Jupiter
and Saturn. Voyager 2 also flew by Uranus and
Neptune. Voyager 2, launched before Voyager 1, is
the longest continuously operated spacecraft. It is
about 15 billion kilometres away from our sun.
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Revolutionary Medicine
Best known as an analgesic against aches and pains, aspirin can also be used as an antipyretic to control
fever and as an anti-inflammatory to reduce inflammation. It also has the effect of making the blood less
likely to clot, known as anti-coagulation.
It was one of the first ‘non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs’ to be discovered and it had the additional
benefit of masking pain without impairing consciousness; nor was it addictive like the opiate painkilling
alternatives, like laudanum.
1899 First Bottle of Aspirin
The father of modern medicine was Hippocrates, who lived sometime between 460 B.C and 377 B.C. Hippocrates was left historical records of pain relief treatments, including the use of powder made from the bark
and leaves of the willow tree to help heal headaches, pains and fevers.
Hippocrates
The leaves and bark of the willow tree contain a substance called salicin, a naturally occurring compound
similar to acetylsalicylic acid, the chemical name for aspirin. Even as far back as 400 B.C. Hippocrates
recommended a tea made from yellow leaves. It wasn't until the 1800's that scientists discovered what was in
the willow tree that relieved pain and reduced fever. The substance was named salicylic acid. But when
people suffering from pain took the salicylic acid, it caused sever stomach and mouth irritation.
The problem was that salicylic acid was tough on stomachs and a means of 'buffering' the compound was
searched for. The first person to do so was a French chemist named Charles Frederic Gerhardt. In 1832,
Gerhardt neutralized salicylic acid by buffering it with sodium (sodium salicylate) and acetyl chloride, creating
acetylsalicylic acid. Gerhardt's product worked but he had no desire to market it and abandoned his discovery.
Sixty-five-years later a German chemist, Felix Hoffmann, was searching for something to relieve his father's
arthritis. He studied Gerhardt's experiments and "rediscovered" acetylsalicylic acid or aspirin, as we now know
it.
Charles Frederic Gerhart
On the 6th March 1899, the Bayer pharmaceutical company officially registered Aspirin as a trademark,
following their chemist Felix Hoffman’s successful synthesis of a stable form of acetylsalicylic acid – the
chemical name for aspirin in 1897.
Felix Hoffmann
The folks at Bayer came up with the name Aspirin, it comes from the 'A" in acetyl chloride,
the "spir" in spiraea ulmaria (the plant they derived the salicylic acid from) and the 'in' was
a then familiar name ending for medicines. Aspirin was first sold as a powder. In 1915, the
first Aspirin tablets were made.
Aided by the 1918 ‘flu pandemic, where aspirin was very successful in controlling pain and
fever of flu victims, its popularity skyrocketed. However, the 1956 launch of the alternative
agent paracetamol, followed by the entry of ibuprofen in 1969, together with mounting evidence that aspirin could occasionally cause a potentially fatal brain-swelling disorder called
Reye’s syndrome in some children, dented its popularity. It is now advised not to be given
to children under 16.
Aspirin Powder
The ability of aspirin to prevent heart attacks and stroke was first proposed in the 1940s when
doctors observed that children who were given aspirin-laced chewing gum to relieve pain
after a tonsillectomy bled more than those who did not have the gum. It was reasoned that if
aspirin caused bleeding it could prevent clotting, the cause of heart attacks. Because these
initial studies were published in obscure journals the recommendation to take an aspirin a day
to prevent heart attacks was not adopted. It wasn’t until the 1970s when adequately controlled
trials established that this was true, that doctors routinely started recommending aspirin.
•
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The melting point of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid, ASA) is 135 °C.
Interestingly, Aspirin ® and Heroin ® were once trademarks belonging to Bayer. After Germany lost World War I, Bayer
was forced to give up both trademarks as part of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
In 1950, aspirin was entered into the Guinness Book of Records as the highestselling drug product.
Approximately 3,500 scientific articles about aspirin are published per year.
The number of 50mg aspirin tablets manufactured each year is around 100 billion.
Adding aspirin to water in a vase will make cut flowers last longer. The effect is attributable to salicylic
acid, which as a messenger substance plays an important role in plants’ defense systems.
Aspirin went into space, as part of the on-board medicine kit on all of the Apollo rockets that NASA sent
to the moon .
Aspirin was used as currency during times of hyperinflation in South America last century, when money
became next to worthless. According to reports, it was standard practice at that time to hand out a few
tablets of the analgesic as change as it held its value considerably better than the actual currency.
The following article was researched and compiled by Ms Charlotte Saliba Camilleri. Ms Saliba Camilleri is a
Head of Department (Physics) at St Ignatius College Boys’ Secondary School Tal-Handaq Qormi.
Exploring Comino
This article was written by Ms Miriam Muscat, Head of Department (Science) at St. Clare’s College
Secondary School , Pembroke.
Monday, 6th May was a special day for all Form 1
students at St. Clare’s Secondary School, Pembroke. It
was the day dedicated to ‘Exploring Comino’, our
second lucky attempt after, to everybody’s
disappointment, the planned date had to be postponed
due to unfavourable weather conditions. This activity
was organised by a team of teachers from different
subject areas, who together brainstormed a variety of
activities that could be appropriate on this unique site.
Visiting the island twice before the actual event, the
coordinating teachers were able to study aspects of
Maths, Science, PE and History, that could be tackled
interdisciplinary with the students.
Our main objective was to help students learn that the
world around us is actually made up of all the many
subjects we learn at school, each of which is interesting
and relevant to our everyday life. However, the activity
revealed to be much more than that. The students had
time to explore the place, appreciate the views and the
garigue environment so characteristic of the island,
admire the beautiful colour of the sea at the blue lagoon
while socialising and making new friends as they worked
in groups assigned by the coordinating teachers. The
students also revealed themselves to be excellent
problem-solvers. Accidentally, a thermometer fell at sea
while measuring the temperature of the sea water. The
accident allowed students to think of a solution. They
ran towards a man some meters away from us,
preparing for a dive and asked him for help. This was
the climax of the activity when the students kneeling at
the edge of the coast waited impatiently for the
thermometer amongst applauses and enthusiasm.
Why choose Comino? Well, some might argue that
there are so many beautiful sites in Malta where a
fieldwork could be carried out, without the hassle of
organising such a trip. Truly so, but apart from the
uniqueness of this small island, Comino offered a
mysterious and adventurous learning experience in a
physical setting that was a novelty for the great majority
of our students.
During the activity, students were assigned a booklet of
activities planned to consolidate material covered in
class, learn through inquiry and acquire new
information. The booklet was divided into 3 main parts:
- Pre-visit tasks: aimed to prepare the students with
vocabulary related to Comino.
- On-site tasks: related to our 4 main stops. (The St.
Mary’s Tower, the Chapel, the Bakery and Blue
Lagoon.)
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Exploring Comino (continued)
Post-visit tasks: aimed for students to revise what was
learned on site together with a self-evaluation of the
activity.
These booklets together with the videos produced
before and after the visit were uploaded on the
STENCIL website:
http://www.stencil-science.eu/
initiatives_view.php?id=1174
Organising such a trip requires careful planning, logistic
arrangements, creativity and teamwork spirit. However,
the students’ feedback and enthusiasm throughout the
activity made all our efforts worthwhile. A big thank you
goes to the school administration for their support, all
the participating teachers and the coordinators of this
activity: Mr James Calleja, Ms Miriam Muscat and Mr
David Mario Fenech.
SCIENTIX
The community for science education in Europe
Scientix was created to facilitate regular dissemination
and sharing of know-how and best practices in science
education across the European Union. Indeed Scientix is
open for teachers, researchers, policy makers, parents
and other stakeholders interested in science education.
Scientix collects teaching resources and research
reports from past and present European science
education projects financed by the European Union
under the 6th and 7th Framework Programmes for
Research and Technological Development (Directorate
General Research), the Lifelong Learning Programme
(Directorate General Education and Culture) and
various national initiatives. Through various online and
off-line services Scientix seeks to create a lively
community for its users – thus facilitating dialogue and
dissemination of best practices, policy guidelines and
research results.
Interested teachers can access the website
www.scientix.eu. The free-to-access and free-to-use
portal is targeted primarily at teachers and schools
however curriculum developers, policy makers,
researchers and science educators can join the Scientix
community.
Most of the content on the portal is accessible for all
users without registration. However registered users
can access additional content and use additional services
such as the fora and the chat tool. In the Scientix
resource repository users can find and download a
range of science education materials such as lesson
plans, reports and training courses. Furthermore the
Scientix Moodle Platform offers teachers the
opportunity to follow on-line training courses to
improve their teaching skills.
Currently Scientix is expanding the European
community for science and mathematics education.
Indeed Scientix 2 is the next phase of the project.
Teachers who want to keep in touch with the latest
Scientix events are encouraged to subscribe to the
Scientix newsletter by visiting the website and signing
up.
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Congratulations!
MASE committee members would like to take this occasion to send their heartiest congratulations to Ms Desiree
Scicluna Bugeja, former Education Officer (Biology) who has been appointed Assistant Director in the Department
of Curriculum Management.
We would also like to congratulate Mr Joseph Cutajar, former Head of Department Science and teacher at the
Gozo Boys’ Secondary School, who has been appointed as Education Officer for Physics.
Mr Carmel Meli, Physics teacher at St Nicholas College Girls’ Secondary School has retired after a long service
with the Education Directorates. We wish him all the best during his retirement.
10 science laboratory technicians have been promoted to Senior Technical Officers in the state sector. We wish
them all the best in their new post.
WWF Plastic Oceans
The Plastic Oceans Foundation is a powerful campaigning agency
supporting and funding targeted solutions aimed at significantly reducing
environmental plastic pollution.
The foundation has assembled a team of world renowned scientists and
leading filmmakers to produce a high-end documentary to create global
awareness to the problems of plastic pollution and to highlight and
promote positive solutions.
A short three minute version video exploring the issues of plastic ocean is
available on www.plasticoceans.net/media/videos.
Interested teachers can also access the website www.plasticoceans.net
Searching for plastic on a remote stretch of coastline in Northern Norway.
This newsletter is formulated by the Maltese Association of Science Educators
in collaboration with the Department of Curriculum Management .
Maltese Association
Department of Curriculum
of
Management
Science Educators
Directorate for Quality
www.masemalta.com
and Standards in Education
Email: [email protected]
Floriana VLT2000
Directorate for
Quality and Standards in Education
We would appreciate feedback from science educators about this newsletter, its content and presentation.
Editors: Ms Desiree’ Scicluna Bugeja, Assistant Director, DCM, DQSE. [email protected]
Mr Michel Spagnol, Physics Teacher at St. Ignatius College B.S.S., Handaq, Qormi. [email protected]
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