Education

Teachers and school pupils play an important part in CiS. Contact the Education secretary Dr John Ling if you have any questions, or would like to contribute to the resources on this page.

Interview with John Ling: html version / pdf version (437 kb)
Teaching Science in School (pdf, 65 kb), article from Christianity.

Talks from the education conference

Recordings of talks from the education conference 2006, here.

Resources on Origins for Teachers

We have collected a series of resources suitable for use in schools, or as background reading for teaching on origins and creation, here.

Guidance on the place of creationism and intelligent design in science lessons:
http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=11890

King's School, Canterbury website development

John Ling discusses the King's School, Canterbury website development with Malcolm Morgan, a sixth former at King's: www.youngscientists.co.uk

a) Could you give a brief description of the website?
Young Scientists is an online journal targeted specifically at school aged students. All the content is written and managed by students. The website has a range of different articles ranging from "quick reads" to full essays. There are also reviews, news nibbles (a digest of the month's science news), forums, games, and themed articles (this issues theme was What If...?).

b) How would you describe the main innovative characteristics of this website?
As far as we are aware this is the only site of its kind. We have found several sites targeted at our age range but this is the only one that allows content by students. This allows us to focus on what we are interested in rather than having it dictated to us. We are also working on our forum to encourage scientific debate on current issues, once again this will be student lead so students will be able to discuss the issues that concern them. We have also just added translation features to or website to encourage international participation. The website is now available in French, German, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.

c) King's School Canterbury has traditionally been strongly linked to the Church of England - in what ways, if any, has the website been used to explore science and Christian expression?
We are keen to encourage people to discuss ethical issues; we already have some articles on such matters, What if science never interfered with ethics, God and the constants of nature, etc. Students are free to express their views so long as they are not offensive, and Christian expression is certainly part of this freedom; however we encourage people of all faiths to participate and share their views in friendly discussion and debate.

d) What aspect of your work on the website has been most fulfilling?
The whole process has been very exciting however the two biggest highlights for me have been the publication of our first issue and receiving our first article from someone outside King's.

e) What are your interests apart from working on the website?
I have a strong interest in science in general, and have taken part in many activities including going to La Palma to work with undergraduates in the hunt for "cold dark matter" and helping launch the European Space Agency's Aurora project. I also enjoy hiking, camping and playing the trombone.

f) At university what would you like to read?
I have just submitted my application to read Engineering at Cambridge.

g) What books have you found useful when exploring an independent study of science?
It varies from topic to topic all the articles we have received have been widely referenced, I personally have just finished Stephen Hawking's The Universe in a Nutshell.

h) What benefit does the website bring to the student interested in science?
With time we will have built up an enormous bank of articles meaning a student will be able to read on any topic he/she cares for. They will also have the chance to share their own work, and from experience having published work on the internet is great for interviews for University and Work.

i) What A level subjects are you studying and Why?
I am studying Maths, Further Maths, Physics, and Chemistry. The main reason I'm studying them is that they are my favourite subjects, but they are also very useful for engineering.

j) Have you ever visited the CiS website?
I have and I have read some of the sample articles from your journal. We may put a link to them as we expand out network of related websites.

Traffic jams and electric cars

As I sit in the traffic jam in my G-Wiz electric car it uses no fuel and sits quietly until the cars move. It seems crazy to me to look at the cars around all pumping out CO2 to no benefit as they sit still. Even when I move, my G-Wiz is emissions free because I recharge it using 100% renewable electricity. Then they have to carry heavy gearboxes (electric engines have a good torque over a large range so don't need to use gears) and silencers (my G-Wizz is very quiet) and starter motors (an internal combustion engine needs an electric motor and battery to start it). Think of the millions of tons of metal that are being carried about unnecessarily (perhaps if you are steel company owner you'd rather not think about it). You can drive an electric car indoors if the doors were big enough because it doesn't emit any toxic gases so even garages are going to change. Funnily enough I don't miss those trips to the petrol station, the smell of the petrol or the queues at the till. It is only the work of a moment to plug my G-Wizz in at the end of the day to an ordinary three-pin socket. And when it's a cold morning I use the remote key from the house to warm up the interior off the mains, so it's defrosted and snug when I get in. So what's the downside? Well mine is the first model and it slows down to 20mph on steep hills, but otherwise is quite nippy enough. Another thing is that because of the range of 30-40 miles you keep an eye on the charge meter. The newer one (G-Wiz AC) has more punch and goes a bit further. I advertise my favourite Christian conservation charity ARocha on the back and get lots of smiles and questions when I'm out in it. I know a bike would be even more eco-friendly, but hey - it's raining and I have a heavy medical bag to carry on the rounds to visit my patients, but on the other hand as I'm sitting in a traffic jam….

There are now more than 500 electric cars in London. Most of them are the Reva G-Wiz (www.goingreen.co.uk). The G-Wiz is an electric car made in India which, when powered by a renewable electricity, is 100% emission free and consumes just one quarter of the energy of the average petrol car. The car only costs £1.64 per day to run (that's less than the bus), road tax is free, insurance is available at 10% cheaper than the lowest insurance bracket. It charges up from an ordinary three pin socket and does about 40 miles on one charge.

Other electric cars are becoming available. Recently the NICE Mega City car was introduced (server8.dedicateduk.com/~nicecar/). NICE stands for 'No Internal Combustion Engine'. At present cheap delivery and servicing of the G-Wiz and NICE Mega City are only available within the M25. The all electric Smart (www.smart.com) has been launched this year. It does 70 miles on a charge and accelerates faster than the petrol model. It will only be available on lease to companies at present.

In many parts of the country parking electric cars is free and they are exempt from London's congestion charge. Annually petrol cars emit between one and four tonnes of Carbon Dioxide, the main greenhouse gas implicated in Climate Change, but an electric car is potentially 100% emission free during use if it is charged with 100% renewable electricity. Electric cars would suit many commuters where walking, cycling or public transport is not appropriate.

Why should we protect the environment? Climate change threatens the world economy, from food production to water resources, with raising sea levels and increasingly extreme weather. In many parts of the world the poor will be the first to suffer. Climate change also threatens the planet's biodiversity, with many specialist species in danger. For a Christian view of the importance of conservation and action on climate change see www.arocha.org or www.tearfund.org.

Dr. Graham McAll
GP in Sheffield
October 2006

© 2008 Christians In Science | All Rights Reserved

Christians in Science Ltd., incorporated in England and Wales. Registered address 4 Sackville Close, Sevenoaks, TN13 3QD. Company No. 05959444. Registered Charity No. 1121422


	Education Teachers and school pupils play an important part in CiS. Contact the Education secretary Dr John Ling if you have any questions, or would like to contribute to the resources on this page. Interview with John Ling: html version / pdf version (437 kb) Teaching Science in School (pdf, 65 kb), article from Christianity. Education links and resources Talks from the education conference Recordings of talks from the education conference 2006, here. Resources on Origins for Teachers We have collected a series of resources suitable for use in schools, or as background reading for teaching on origins and creation, here. Guidance on the place of creationism and intelligent design in science lessons: http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=11890 King's School, Canterbury website development John Ling discusses the King's School, Canterbury website development with Malcolm Morgan, a sixth former at King's: www.youngscientists.co.uk a) Could you give a brief description of the website? Young Scientists is an online journal targeted specifically at school aged students. All the content is written and managed by students. The website has a range of different articles ranging from "quick reads" to full essays. There are also reviews, news nibbles (a digest of the month's science news), forums, games, and themed articles (this issues theme was What If...?). b) How would you describe the main innovative characteristics of this website? As far as we are aware this is the only site of its kind. We have found several sites targeted at our age range but this is the only one that allows content by students. This allows us to focus on what we are interested in rather than having it dictated to us. We are also working on our forum to encourage scientific debate on current issues, once again this will be student lead so students will be able to discuss the issues that concern them. We have also just added translation features to or website to encourage international participation. The website is now available in French, German, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. c) King's School Canterbury has traditionally been strongly linked to the Church of England - in what ways, if any, has the website been used to explore science and Christian expression? We are keen to encourage people to discuss ethical issues; we already have some articles on such matters, What if science never interfered with ethics, God and the constants of nature, etc. Students are free to express their views so long as they are not offensive, and Christian expression is certainly part of this freedom; however we encourage people of all faiths to participate and share their views in friendly discussion and debate. d) What aspect of your work on the website has been most fulfilling? The whole process has been very exciting however the two biggest highlights for me have been the publication of our first issue and receiving our first article from someone outside King's. e) What are your interests apart from working on the website? I have a strong interest in science in general, and have taken part in many activities including going to La Palma to work with undergraduates in the hunt for "cold dark matter" and helping launch the European Space Agency's Aurora project. I also enjoy hiking, camping and playing the trombone. f) At university what would you like to read? I have just submitted my application to read Engineering at Cambridge. g) What books have you found useful when exploring an independent study of science? It varies from topic to topic all the articles we have received have been widely referenced, I personally have just finished Stephen Hawking's The Universe in a Nutshell. h) What benefit does the website bring to the student interested in science? With time we will have built up an enormous bank of articles meaning a student will be able to read on any topic he/she cares for. They will also have the chance to share their own work, and from experience having published work on the internet is great for interviews for University and Work. i) What A level subjects are you studying and Why? I am studying Maths, Further Maths, Physics, and Chemistry. The main reason I'm studying them is that they are my favourite subjects, but they are also very useful for engineering. j) Have you ever visited the CiS website? I have and I have read some of the sample articles from your journal. We may put a link to them as we expand out network of related websites. Traffic jams and electric cars As I sit in the traffic jam in my G-Wiz electric car it uses no fuel and sits quietly until the cars move. It seems crazy to me to look at the cars around all pumping out CO2 to no benefit as they sit still. Even when I move, my G-Wiz is emissions free because I recharge it using 100% renewable electricity. Then they have to carry heavy gearboxes (electric engines have a good torque over a large range so don't need to use gears) and silencers (my G-Wizz is very quiet) and starter motors (an internal combustion engine needs an electric motor and battery to start it). Think of the millions of tons of metal that are being carried about unnecessarily (perhaps if you are steel company owner you'd rather not think about it). You can drive an electric car indoors if the doors were big enough because it doesn't emit any toxic gases so even garages are going to change. Funnily enough I don't miss those trips to the petrol station, the smell of the petrol or the queues at the till. It is only the work of a moment to plug my G-Wizz in at the end of the day to an ordinary three-pin socket. And when it's a cold morning I use the remote key from the house to warm up the interior off the mains, so it's defrosted and snug when I get in. So what's the downside? Well mine is the first model and it slows down to 20mph on steep hills, but otherwise is quite nippy enough. Another thing is that because of the range of 30-40 miles you keep an eye on the charge meter. The newer one (G-Wiz AC) has more punch and goes a bit further. I advertise my favourite Christian conservation charity ARocha on the back and get lots of smiles and questions when I'm out in it. I know a bike would be even more eco-friendly, but hey - it's raining and I have a heavy medical bag to carry on the rounds to visit my patients, but on the other hand as I'm sitting in a traffic jam…. There are now more than 500 electric cars in London. Most of them are the Reva G-Wiz (www.goingreen.co.uk). The G-Wiz is an electric car made in India which, when powered by a renewable electricity, is 100% emission free and consumes just one quarter of the energy of the average petrol car. The car only costs £1.64 per day to run (that's less than the bus), road tax is free, insurance is available at 10% cheaper than the lowest insurance bracket. It charges up from an ordinary three pin socket and does about 40 miles on one charge. Other electric cars are becoming available. Recently the NICE Mega City car was introduced (server8.dedicateduk.com/~nicecar/). NICE stands for 'No Internal Combustion Engine'. At present cheap delivery and servicing of the G-Wiz and NICE Mega City are only available within the M25. The all electric Smart (www.smart.com) has been launched this year. It does 70 miles on a charge and accelerates faster than the petrol model. It will only be available on lease to companies at present. In many parts of the country parking electric cars is free and they are exempt from London's congestion charge. Annually petrol cars emit between one and four tonnes of Carbon Dioxide, the main greenhouse gas implicated in Climate Change, but an electric car is potentially 100% emission free during use if it is charged with 100% renewable electricity. Electric cars would suit many commuters where walking, cycling or public transport is not appropriate. Why should we protect the environment? Climate change threatens the world economy, from food production to water resources, with raising sea levels and increasingly extreme weather. In many parts of the world the poor will be the first to suffer. Climate change also threatens the planet's biodiversity, with many specialist species in danger. For a Christian view of the importance of conservation and action on climate change see www.arocha.org or www.tearfund.org. Dr. Graham McAll GP in Sheffield October 2006
© 2008 Christians In Science \| All Rights Reserved Christians in Science Ltd., incorporated in England and Wales. Registered address 4 Sackville Close, Sevenoaks, TN13 3QD. Company No. 05959444. Registered Charity No. 1121422


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