"Science is for others, not for me." "I don't know what's going on at CERN and I'm not interested in finding out." "I'm bored in class.".
Is science only for the great, the few, and the elite? Our experience from the Hill School's " Playing with Protons " educational program in collaboration with CERN showed us that big scientific ideas and important discoveries, such as that of the Higgs particle, can interest even elementary school children.
No one said that transmitting complex scientific concepts to young children is easy. Nevertheless, both internationally and in Greece, significant steps have been made to disseminate modern Physics and science in general. The material and tools exist and are available. What is perhaps missing is their massive utilization inside and outside the classroom.
"How can we find the Higgs particle?" asked twelve-year-old Alexandros in the first week of the "Playing with Protons" program.
Introducing children to the scientific questions and technological challenges currently confronting researchers and scientists around the world can ignite their curiosity, encourage experimentation, and help them recognize the value of error as they gradually discover what science is and how it “works.” Thus, children begin to feel like citizens of the global scientific community (citizen scientists) from an early age.
"That's why I like Physics. Because it answers the thousands of questions I have," twelve-year-old Olga told us when the program was completed.
As presented in the above mini-documentary, the “Playing with Protons” program is essentially a pedagogical experiment that, despite all its encouraging results, requires additional observations. We hope that our proposal will inspire educators who believe that in the era of free access to information, school cannot be disconnected from the “now” – because children are not. Disconnected, someone loses the magic but also the possibility of active participation in the global scientific effort.
The mini-documentary "Playing with Protons" is also available at the following link:
