Dear students,
I welcome you back to College. May this year be fruitful and full of study and hard work. Please be advised that the first semester is soon over and it will be closing off with an assessment period. You are are kindly encouraged to prepare yourselves by going through your notes and get a little bit of practice through problem sheets and exrecises. This is not my opportunity to fail you but your opportunity to convince me that you are smart to progress.
Good luck.
It is always great news to read about the success of space exploration. However, today we are receiving the sad news from NASA that one of the main contributors to the Apollo 7 mission, Walter Cunningham, passed away at the age of 90. During his early days in his career, Walter Cunningham was a fighter pilot with the US navy and marines. He was later chosen to be one of three men to make Apollo 7 mission a success. He served as a lunar module pilot. May he now rest in peace while we appreciate his contribution to space exploration.
To you all following this blog especially past and present students, I wish you a prosperous new year 2023. May this year brings about happiness and lots of hard work 😃
For all prospective students of the University of Malta, a new prospectus for undergraduate courses had just been published! I encourage you all to make good use of this document because it serves as a good reference. Click on the picture frame to access the document.
Yes, it is indeed true that not all online classes are comfortable. More than ever before, COVID-times proved that teaching is not necessarily held physically in class. Lately, I heard of students following a class from home, on a mobile phone in an open-air space, on the bus and even at the barber during a haircut! I can also vouch for teachers who delivered classes from home, from an office and even from the garage (to demonstrate practical work). However, it never crossed my mind to deliver a class from a trench, during a war, while defending your country. It seems bizarre but indeed true.
This is the story (and reality) of a Ukrainian University professor Fedir Shandor. While defending his country in wartimes, he still serves his duty as a teacher and delivers his classes online. The BBC story which I read recently makes me reflect on our practices. I have two different point of views while reading this article published by the BBC. Two different point of views; one from the students’ perspective and another from the teachers’ perspective.
How many times everyday, students enter a class with no preparation and enthusiasm for what follows? How much respect is paid by the student towards the teacher who is present in class? Is everybody nowadays taking the teacher (physically present) in class for-granted? Think of the students of Professor Shandor!
On the other hand, how much we teachers appreciate that our country is in peace with the rest of the world? How much do we appreciate the fact that everyday we can find a peaceful place, called a class, where we can meet our students? How many times do we complain of minor shortages at the place of work? Then think of Professor Shandor!
Life repeats itself and here we go again….the end-of-year tests are with us again. Many students are now diving deep through these tests with the last remaining few to be held next week. Physics is one of them! Very often I find myself asking and reflecting about the usefullness of such tests. Sometimes we call them exams but somehow the latter induces a greater degree of stress; in all parties indeed.
As a matter of fact, no-one can progress without achieving success in formative and summative assessments. However, I would rather prefer to look at ongoing assessments, including the end-of-year tests, as an opportunity for the student to exhibit his/her potential; to show to the world the level of understanding he/she achieved throughout the course. It is very natural to feel bad about exams, to feel stressed and terrified but all this would be in control if we start looking at tests/exams from a different point of view. It should not be us teachers inviting the student to sit for an exam but it should be the student inviting the teacher to create an opportunity in order to demonstrate how much the student can achieve.
From my experience I know how hard many students work and prepare themselves. So it would be a pity for them to lose it all at the very end simply because they cannot control their emotions. It would be a pity if we still perceive exams as a filtering exercise rather than an opportunity to exhibit one’s potential. Filtering is true but let us keep that as a consequence of the whole exercise rather than the primary aim of exams.
At the end, I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude towards my students for attending my lectures patiently, for participating in day-to-day discussions and after all for showing their due respect to their lecturers. I wish you all the luck for the Physics exam and may you reflect seriously about the upcoming exam as an opportunity to exhibit your potential. Let’s do it 🙂
Christopher Busuttil
Learning science is not only about learning formulae or studying by heart. In my opinion, it should be an experience; an experience of fun which induces curiosity. It all starts with observation leading to hands-on experimentation. As a Physics lecturer this is what I strive for on a daily basis. To enhance my experience I invest time and energy to visit others’ work. This year I decided to visit the Edinburgh Science Festival.
The Edinburgh Science Festival is a very popular festival for science enthusiasts. It is held once yearly in the heart of the city. This year’s edition was spread across different venues across the city with the main attraction being set up in the City Art Centre. Various installations and hands-on activities were set up for audiences of all ages. The 2022 festival dealt with various themes including the environment and biological life. However, the emphasis of the whole event was on the unavoidable urgency of tackling the world’s climate crisis.
Looking back, I admit that attending such an event was a good opportunity for me to appreciate the effort of many to safeguard our planet. Let us all join in this revolution to change our attitudes and behaviour towards a better planet.
Christopher Busuttil
Christopher Busuttil 