Making a North & South page for the website has been a fairly difficult task because the whole website is a consequence of the North & South project. To me, the whole site could just as easily be recalled 'Colman's North & South Website'!.

It was through discussions with pupils, teachers and other learning support people in South Africa that I found a need to host a website to share documents and files...

...and so it has become!

The main is North & South website.

North & South Reflections

Background

The trip was amazing, eye opening, occasionally shocking, sometime sad but always warming.

It all began because Venus travelled across (transited) the face of the sun on 8th June 2004. As part of our Transit of Venus project Dr Helen Mason (Mike Cripps' link Scientist at the Department of Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge) went to South Africa to work on the transit with the township schools around Cape Town. Meanwhile, Mike & myself were busy with our side of the project back in the UK. It was through the contacts that Helen made in South Africa that this project was born...

Aims

In the township schools (that is the schools in the disadvantaged, black areas) Mathematics and Science is vey important and the pupils are very keen. We felt that we could help to develop approaches to science teaching that will futher motivate and encourage pupils.

We took 10 Year 12 pupils to meet and work with the South African pupils and the project provided a great opportunity for everyone to experience the differing lifestyles and cultures.

There is also a big brand new telescope in Sutherland (about 300miles from Cape Town). Called the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) it is the biggest in the southern hemisphere. Part of the project was for our pupils to learn about this telescope and to relay the knowledge to others via a website. Whilst doing this our pupils were also able to learn first hand about how professional astronomers work and about the southern night sky.

The Experience

Where to start? Well I should really begin by saying how kind and helpful everyone in South Africa was. Wherever we went we were greeted warmly and politely and it seemed that nothing was too much trouble. It was humbling.

I found teaching in the schools encouraging. It was nice to lead 30+ students who cared about thier education and didn't just take it for granted as some pupils do here. They were pleasant, keen, helpful and charming despite living in much worse conditions than we do. Thier uniform was immaculate.

Seeing Cape Town from table mountain was awesome, just as seeing the township areas was incredibly sad. We had many discussions, sometimes late into the night (oops!), about how race was, and still is, an issue in South Africa.

Witnessing the Southern night sky was fantastic, the Milky Way is a dirty great stain across the blackness. We spent a lovely, although cold, evening having our own 'Star Party' and creating our own entertainment with the people we met whilst there. Drawing light pictures such as the one below was alot of fun.

Seeing the large and small magalanic clouds was also very cool. On spotting them for the first time as we drove back from SALT one night, we pulled the car over to the side of the road and just looked in awe for 10 minutes or so.

We were spending a few days with Reggie Ceasar, a High School Maths teacher in Worcestor, and four of his pupils whilst we were in Sutherland visiting SALT. This was a very special time as we really got to know our new friends. I remember one morning, whilst waiting, again, at the side of the road, our pupils were dancing to thier UK music and Reggie's pupils were dancing to thier Africaan music. We had two vehicles both blasting out two different, and contrasting, types of music with pupils dancing differently too when Reggie remarked to me "Look, its North & South!" Its moments like that that you just can't write, what a touch!

Other Quick Bites

Cape Town is about 900-1000miles from London, depending on the day!

The moon, as people in the northern hemisphere see it, appears upside down in South Africa.

In South Africa the concept of someone being having 'black skin' is different to someone having 'coloured skin'.

The cheetah is the only big cat that purrs and cannot retract its claws.

'Star Parties' - that is going out somewhere dark, watching the stars & making your own amusement - are alot of fun. Making light shapes (like the 'Gary' one above) is really cool!

I thank the following sponsors of the project, without whose help it would not have been possible:

Royal Commission 1851
Royal Astronomical Society
East of England Science Learning Centre
European Space Agency
Learning Technologies
Neatherd High School International Language College
Geraldine Hogan - Coronado