Paper
21 September 2007 Finding science is fun in a 'Magic Show of Light' from Optical Demonstrations on an Overhead Projector for elementary school students
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Abstract
We seek methods of stimulating young school children to develop an interest in science and engineering through a natural curiosity for the reaction of light. Science learning now begins fully at middle school. Reading skills develop with activity at home and progress through the elementary school curriculum, and in a like manner, a curious interest in science also should begin at that stage of life. Within the ranks of educators, knowledge of optical science needs to be presented to elementary school students in an entertaining manner. One such program used by the authors is Doug Goodman's Optics Demonstrations With the Overhead Projector, co-published by and available from OSA (Optical Society of America) and SPIE-The International Society of Optical Engineering. These demonstrations have been presented in middle and high schools; however, as a special approach, the authors have developed selected Goodman demonstrations as a "Magic Show of Light" for elementary schools. Teachers in the U.S. are overloaded with classroom instruction specifically targeted at improving reading and math scores on the Standard Achievement Test (SAT); therefore, science is getting "short changed" in the education system. For the sake of our future, industry volunteers must come forward to promote interest in science beginning with K-6.
© (2007) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Joe J. Lones, Nadezhda K. Maltseva, and Kurt N. Peterson "Finding science is fun in a 'Magic Show of Light' from Optical Demonstrations on an Overhead Projector for elementary school students", Proc. SPIE 6668, Novel Optical Systems Design and Optimization X, 66680H (21 September 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.736344
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KEYWORDS
Projection systems

Lamps

Mathematics

Geometrical optics

Fresnel lenses

Optical engineering

Polarization

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