Synaptic - Francois Naude
Dr Francois Naude: Science Teacher; Phoenix Education Engineers Founder; National Teacher Award Winner 2012. #teach #teaching #learn #learning #learningdesign
His Work: “I help other teachers discover their superpowers. We focus too much on our weaknesses when we should be focusing on strengths. When teachers know how to discover their own superpowers they get to help children discover theirs.”
His Heroes: Bill Nye The Science Guy and Neil Degrasse-Tyson. Science education can be cool and exciting and they have definitely made it so.
Top Tip: Take the questions that you have and get curious! Be relentless until your find satisfactory answers. That in essence is what science is. It is crucial that everyone has a basic understanding of science. Every aspect of your personal and professional life will happen with science as the foundation.
His Name: Synapses are the connections between neurons or between a neuron and muscle. They are the space where the electrical signal moving down a neuron has to switch to a chemical signal to send the message onward - isn't biology amazing! When you learn something and reinforce it with practice, whether it’s a football kick, a new dance move, or a new idea, the synaptic connection grows stronger and makes it easier to transmit that signal and do whatever you’ve learned. The same though happens with habits that are not the best for you. Build and strengthen those synaptic connections that are going to help you go where you want to go.
His Superpowers: Humor, teaching difficult ideas and concepts but making them fun.
Rank in order what you think you need to succeed in science 1) Curiosity 2) Hard Work 3) Creativity 4) Communication
What else do you need? “Kindness, empathy, ethics and morals. Science happens in a human context, we need to be more aware of the effects science has on people.“
What sparked your interest in science? “I've always been interested in nature and wanted to become a game ranger when I was young. My curiosity of natural phenomena led to me studying Biochemistry and Zoology where I focused on the study of bats. It was during my studies that I realised that not everyone shares my enthusiasm for nature and science and I wanted to find a way of sharing my passion with others. This is when I decided to become a teacher.
After completing my Masters degree in education and winning the National Teacher's Award in 2012 I was asked to train teachers so they could also use the methods, skills and values that I used in my teaching to increase the overall experience of learners in many more classrooms.“
Have you ever failed anything? “We fail more in science than what we succeed. I've failed many times in many aspects in life, but I have learnt from these failures. Failure isn't fatal. It is vital to our progression as people and as a species.”
Learn more: @super_teacher_f on Youtube and most socials