Science lessons with a twist for DGS pupils.
Pupils and visitors to Dunoon Grammar School last week were greeted with a curious addition to the school car park – a science laboratory based in an articulated lorry!
During the week a number of pupils worked in the lorry on a number of physics related experiments. Lab in a Lorry – organised by the Institute of Physics and STEM – is an interactive mobile science laboratory which gives young people the opportunity to explore science through open ended experiments.
Senior pupils at Dunoon Grammar took on the role of mentors – guiding younger pupils through a series of workshops hosted within the wheeled lab, including one which gave the students an insight into sound and its behaviour. This experiment consisted of a table tennis ball inside glass casing which was placed on top of a speaker. As the sound gradually increased the table tennis ball bounced more frequently which showed the pupils the effect that sound and its vibration can have. Another popular session with pupils was a camera workshop. This involved the pupils building a camera which at first had the illusion of the image being up-side-down. Pupils also found out more about computer pixels being made from 3 primary colours; red, blue and green.
S1 pupil Andrew Trouten summarised his experience in the lorry:
“It was extremely good and I learnt a lot more about the way that cameras work. It has definitely helped me with the prospect of choosing a science for S3.”
Jennifer Walker also of S1 added:
“Lab in a lorry was very interesting and I’d definitely do it again if it came back.”
Elaine Boyce, Principal Teacher of Science commented:
“The Lab in a Lorry provided pupils with an enriched learning experience through relevant real life applications with a fun hands-on approach. The visit also provided the S6 pupil volunteers with an opportunity to demonstrate their outstanding leadership skills in promoting physics to our younger pupils.”
Head Teacher, David Mitchell added:
“I would like to thank STEM and the Institute of Physics for bringing this special educational resource to our school. It was clear that all those who went on board had a fantastic and deep learning experience. I would also like to thank our senior pupils who did an excellent job as mentors to our younger pupils.”
For further information, please contact Paul Gallanagh at Dunoon Grammar School on 01369 705010.
