“They Want To Know Why There’s A Strange Person Wearing A White Coat At The Front Of The Room”
David Hammerson, director of STEM learning provider Science Boffins, explains how its dramatic experiments and demonstrations can liven up your classroom…
We often receive calls in the Science Boffins office asking if we’re willing to work with SEN children. The sad reality is that not every STEM provider is willing to work alongside children with additional needs – yet the fact remains that children are still children, regardless of their educational needs. Every child wants very similar things – to be loved and cared for, to have fun and to be able to learn.
Science Boffins are on a mission to get children aged between 5 and 12 excited about the wonders of science through our interactive, educational and fun science workshops and demonstrations – and as part of that mission, we have worked over past 12 years with various schools, charities and individuals to entertain and educate children with SEN.
Studies have consistently shown that play is a remarkably effective form of therapy and education, both of which help greatly with a child’s development. With additional needs covering such a broad spectrum, it’s vital that children have the opportunity to take part in hands-on activities that enable them to develop at their level and pace – be it learning a new scientific term, or improving their motor skills by stirring their own pot of slime.
Lots of smiles
We’ve found that using trained actors as presenters adds a big visual stimulus to our presentations, which is a huge benefit to all children that we visit. This, combined with our regular work alongside charities such as Mencap and Action for Children, has allowed us to tailor our presentations and scripts to a range of ability levels.
From a new presenter’s perspective, working with children who have SEN can be a daunting task. The pupils aren’t always as able to interact as in mainstream schools, but the main objective of our presentations is always to ensure that the children have fun – and that doesn’t deviate from school to school. There are normally lots of excited faces wanting to know why there’s a strange person wearing a white coat standing at the front of the room, and always lots of smiles leaving the room at the end.
Personal satisfaction
This year alone, Science Boffins has worked with over 60,000 children, with many more events planned over the coming months. Many of those children have had additional needs, both physically and with their education. We train our presenters to engage with all children, ascertain their ability level and then adapt their presentation accordingly.
The vast majority of our presenters would say that they enjoy working with SEN children even more than mainstream children, since they enjoy a far greater sense of achievement and personal satisfaction. A teacher from an SEN school we recently visited told us that, “The scientist gave an excellent demonstration – it kept all of our pupils’ attention and they all found it very interesting.
There were lots of visual things, some straightforward explanation and a little bit of higher level science for those of our pupils that have a little more ability. “I thought the whole talk was very well pitched for a group of special needs students and there was something there for everyone.”
Our workshops, assemblies and events focus on the educational elements of the science syllabus, but with a heavy emphasis on entertainment. Over the past 12 years, we’ve learnt that presenting educational facts and ideas in a fun and interactive way that’s visually stimulating and a bit different really helps them to stick in the children’s minds. We’ve even had some of our Boffins go back to schools and groups months, or in some cases years later, and the children still remember their last visit and what they learnt.
We look forward to working with more SEN groups over the next 12 years and beyond.
About the author
David Hammerson is the director of Science Boffins; for more information, visit scienceboffins.co.uk or follow @Science_Boffins
