In the classroom: Creativity unleashed
Many will agree that academic hands-on projects are more effective than long lectures in enticing students’ interest. A practical approach is best suited in particular for interdisciplinary subjects such as nanotechnology, and can help breaking the ice between fellow students in a classroom, and foster learning. In our May issue of In the classroom, François Grey tells us how he has used a hands-on approach to engage students of the summer school LEGO2NANO, held annually at Tsinghua University, in learning about nanotechnology. He challenged student teams to come up, in a week time, with a prototype atomic force microscope that could be used in Chinese schools – with a maximum budget of US$1000. Read more