Schools : Professor Peter Higgs & The Higgs Field !

Professor Peter Higgs [1929 - 2024]

credit: University of Edinburgh

In July 2012, scientists found the long awaited Higgs Boson, a particle that, according to theoretical physics, gives all elementary particles mass. Without the Higgs boson, these particles would remain mass less, and our bodies, blankets, cups of tea, dogs, and universe wouldn’t exist.

Professor Higgs predicted the existence of a unique type of fundamental particle - now named the Higgs boson in his honour - which is essential in allowing the mathematics of the standard model to work.

credit PA Media

via BBC

In the 1960s Higgs and other physicists worked on an idea to explain why the building blocks of the Universe have mass.

It sparked a search for the 'Holy Grail of physics' - a particle that could explain three fundamental forces (electromagnetism and the weak and the strong nuclear forces) in one theory.

In 2012 scientists using the Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland finally discovered it - they named it the Higgs boson.

A year later, 2013, Higgs' work was recognised in his Nobel Prize which he shared with Francois Englert of Belgium.

Peter Higgs & François Englert

Nobel Prize in Physics 2013

credits: Maximilien Brice/CERN

François Englert (left) and Peter Higgs at CERN on 4 July 2012, on the occasion of the announcement of the discovery of a Higgs boson. 

But the boson and the Higgs Field that allows for that magic particle are extremely difficult to grasp.

Don Lincoln (CERN) has produced his take on explaining the Higgs field for Ted-Ed education network in a animated video In the animated video for the Ted-Ed education network, Fermilab's Don Lincoln explains the Higgs field with an analogy about a cocktail party.

The boson and the Higgs Field that allows for that magic particle are extremely difficult to grasp. 

This video by Don Lincoln (CERN) explains it. It's a good digital resource to include into Physics curriculum and explain the Higgs field.

Professor Peter Higgs Nobel Prize for Physics

https://www.nobelprize.org/

Professor Peter Higgs was awarded jointly to François Englert with the Nobel Prize for Physics, on October 8. 2013 for:

"the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider"

Nobel Prize Committee

"I am overwhelmed to receive this award... I would also like to congratulate all those who have contributed to the discovery of this new particle."

Professor Peter Higgs, 

Emeritus professor of theoretical physics, University of Edinburgh

Peter Higgs

https://www.theguardian.com/

Video: Peter Higgs

The link of video Peter Higgs profile by Ian Sample (science correspondant / The Guardian), published on this post in 8 October 2014, is no longer available. You can watch it on The Guardian here

credit: Visual Science

via Discover Magazine

Some notes:

One of the most significant scientific discoveries of the early 21st century is the Higgs boson. 

Professor Higgs predicted the existence of a unique type of fundamental particle - now named the Higgs boson in his honour - which is essential in allowing the mathematics of the standard model to work. 

The 4th July 2012 CERN announced the discovery of a new particle, consistent with the Higgs boson.

The existence of the boson was a matter of intense speculation for 50 years, until its final discovery last year at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) - the world's most powerful particle accelerator.

Long-sought decay of Higgs boson observed:

An ATLAS candidate event for the Higgs boson (H) decaying to two bottom quarks (b), in association with a W boson decaying to a muon (μ) and a neutrino (ν). 

credits: ATLAS/CERN)

https://home.cern/about/updates/2018

Six years after its discovery, the Higgs boson has at last been observed decaying to fundamental particles known as bottom quarks. 

The finding, presented today at CERN by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), is consistent with the hypothesis that the all-pervading quantum field behind the Higgs boson also gives mass to the bottom quark. Both teams have submitted their results for publication today. 

Read more here

Education:

This a awesome matter to include into Sciences curricula, specially Physics curriculum  and discuss it with students accedssing to Higgs boson videos on CERN webisite. Videos are interesting and powerful digital resources to include into the school curriculum.

Some years ago a teacher displayed videos in the classroom once in a while. Now is very commonly used. Always as a motivation or a better explanation to a subject in lessons.

I can tell you as a teacher that students love and learn easily watching a video than hearing thousands words.

Curricula: Physics; Mathematics.

Levels: Secondary Education.

The basics of a boson – a lesson by Dave Barney of the CMS collaboration and Steven Goldfarb of the ATLAS collaboration. Animation by Jeanette Nørgaard for TED-Ed.

In 2012, physicists at CERN discovered evidence of the Higgs boson. The what? 

The Higgs boson is one of two types of fundamental particles, and it’s a particular game-changer in the field of particle physics, proving how particles gain mass. Using the Socratic method, CERN physicists Dave Barney and Steve Goldfarb explain the exciting implications of the Higgs boson.

 

Final notes:

Today videos are used frequently in the classroom among other educational digital resources, to enrich lessons.

 

There are a great number of videos and other all sort of educational digital resources that you can include into school curricula. Students evolve well their skills when we use technology and educational digital resources. 

But, don't forget to prepare the exploration of each one before your lesson. And join some practical activities.

Teachers value is not in the information stored in their head. Teachers must have the ability to pull together the best learning resources to produce a desired outcome. 

Professor Peter Higgs [1929-2024]

credit:  Claudia Marcelloni / CERN, 2008

Note: 

Professor Peter Higgs a giant of science died the 8 April 2024, confirmed the University of Edinburgh.

"Peter Higgs was a remarkable individual – a truly gifted scientist whose vision and imagination have enriched our knowledge of the world that surrounds us. His pioneering work has motivated thousands of scientists, and his legacy will continue to inspire many more for generations to come."

University of Edinburgh

"His name will be remembered as long as we do physics in the form of the Higgs Boson."

G-Souto

31.08.2013
Copyright © 2013G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®

Updated 09.04.2024


Schools : Professor Peter Higgs & The Higgs Field ! by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. 

Credits: Stanford YouTube/ CERN / University of Edinburgh/ TED education

Christmas rundown of the most popular posts #1

credits : Nils Jorgensen | Rex Features

via The Guardian/ Technology

Students and teachers are taking a few days off to enjoy Christmas festive season with family and to recharge batteries near family and friends. 

While I am away I'm re-running the most popular posts of the year. On this post I'm re-running the most popular of the first semester. The selection is based on pageviews during 2012.

Wall-E (film)

Disney/Pixar

Let's continue to inspire our students, this time for Earth Day 2012 by elevating the importance of Environmental issues around the world. School time is a wonderful moment to teach and share some of these civic values.

Wall-E a green resource for Earth day 2012 was the most read of first semester! Of course!  Wall-E by Pixar is a beautiful 'green' movie.

Now you are smiling! Yes, it's true! I wrote about Andrew Stanton and his TEDTalk on of my posts because I was thinking about Wall-E as a green digital resource to display in the classroom. A touching digital storytelling about Earth that can be included as a cross-curricula project.

. 

Wall-E! Such a poetic film that won the 66th Awards Oscars, at the category Animated movies (2009).

"Wall-E was to find beauty", said Stanton during his talk on TED.

 

• Education:

"Our planet, our home is being neglected. Climate change continues unabated. It seems there's a new ecological disaster happening almost daily."

 

Schools have an important role promoting environmental education as a civic value. So, educators can teach and share environmental values in different moments of their lessons, providing some thoughts and digital resources, educating young people for a sustainable future and inspiring them being a good example.

The Earth won't wait! 

"Educating today’s youth about environmental sustainability has the power to capture the attenion of students, teachers, parents, the community, and beyond. 

Earth Day 2012’s education mission is simple: encourage as many K-12 schools as possible to paricipate in Earth Day aciviies that teach the importance of civic and environmental responsibility."

Know Green, Go Green

"Because we don't think about future generations, they will never forget us."

 Henrik Tikkanen 

Trust

David Schwimmer, 2010

https://www.imdb.com/

Trust: a film about safety on Internet was the right post to encourage parents and educators to involve on online safety of young people at Make your Safer Internet Day. The 2012 theme was centerd on "Connecting generations and educating each other". 

SID 2012 encouraged users young and old to "discover the digital world together... safely"!

"With all of the potential that the online world and new technology offers, young people now have access to huge opportunities. They use technology to express

 themselves, explore, and be creative; it has changed the way they communicate."

Trust

David Schwimmer, 2010

https://www.imdb.com/

Indeed! Internet changed the way we express and the way teens communicate with friends and no friends. And that is the other side of the Internet. So, I would like to share with you a special but difficult film about teens safety online.

When I watched the film, I spent some time lost in my thoughts. I couldn't believe! Back to school, I discussed the film with some teachers (men and women). Later, I discussed it with parents and their children, my students (up-to 14-15). 

"The Internet is positive for children – not just for online education, but as a place to socialise, play and create. But whether they're doing it for school work or play, they must be able to do it safely, to forge positive relationships and cope with online risks."

Neelie Krois

Former Vice-President of the European Commission

Responsible for the Digital Agenda

Poster: Juan Gedovius

https://www.ibby.org/

International Children's Book Day! Since 1967, on or around Hans Christian Andersen's birthday, 2 April, International Children's Book Day (ICBD) is celebrated to inspire the love of reading and to call attention to children's books.

Each year, a different National Section of IBBY has the opportunity to be the international sponsor of ICBD. It decides upon a theme and invites a prominent author from the host country to write a message to children of the world and a well-known illustrator to design a poster.  

Mexico was the sponsor country 2012! The theme was "Once upon a time, there was a story that the whole world told", Juan Gedovius was the poster designer, Francisco Hinojosa wrote the message that can be read here (Spanish).

Hans Christian Andersen tales

https://purl.pt

2012 is also Hans Christian Andersen Award, considered the most prestigious in international children’s literature, given biennially by the "International Board on Books for Young People" to a living author and illustrator whose complete works are judged to have made lasting contributions to children's literature.

La niña, el corazón y la casa

María Teresa Andruetto/ AR

Pluma de gato, 2011

https://www.amazon.es/

Un  libro que  corta el corazón!”

Marina Colasanti

The Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury of the "International Board on Books for Young People" (IBBY) announced that María Teresa Andruetto from Argentina was the winner of the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award, and Peter Sís from the Czech Republic was the winner of the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award.

• Education:

"There is an art of reading, as well as an art of thinking, and an art of writing."

Isaac D'Israeli

I write often about books and the importance of reading in school (several of my posts are about reading books (digital or paper) in elementary and secondary education. i prefer on paper-

I am a huge fan of reading in school. As educators, we have an ubiquitous responsability to encourage the love of reading in our students by exploring this wonderful and magical resource (digital or paper) in our lessons (in and out curricula).

International Children's Book Day is a fantastic motivation to tell and experiment with our students how reading can be a gift by stimulating the imagination and "offering creative solutions to obstacles that we will find along the way."

The love love for books and reading are 'exquis' moments in Languages curricula, in the classroom or out school on blended learning.

All researchs show that owning books plays a key role in encouraging reading and we need to do all we can to make that happen. 

"No sé si basta la escuela, pero la escuela es lo que tenemos, lo único que tenemos todos los ciudadanos. (...) Sería mejor, claro, tener, además de la escuela, libros en todos los hogares, padres lectores estimulando a sus hijos en todas partes, hombres y mujeres y niños sin carencia económica alguna, pero sabemos que no es esa nuestra realidad, aunque debemos trabajar para que algún día lo sea. Eso en lo que a la lectura respecta."

Maria Teresa Andruetto 

https://www.ilo.org/

"The children concerned in child labour should be at school being educated, and acquiring skills that prepare them for decent work as adults."

By entering the labour market prematurely, they are deprived of this critical education and training that can help to lift them, their families and communities out of a cycle of poverty."

Child Poverty in Developed Countries I already wrote about Child Poverty in Developed Countries. Watching David, I realized how important it was to draw attention to situations like students living below poverty line in our schools or countries.

World Day Against Child Labour. After all, the theme is the same. So, I never give to write about Human Rights and most of all, the right of all children to be protected from poverty and from child labour. Child labout is a tremendous violation of fundamental human rights and children rights.

via Google Images Archive

Hundreds of millions of young people, girls and boys throughout the world, are engaged in work that deprives them of "adequate education, health, leisure and basic freedom", violating their rights. 

All schools and other educational institutions make a special effort to inform children of their rights according to the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

Numerous tools and initiatives exist to inspire and motivate students of all ages, from primary school right through to university, on the subject of child labour.

"There is no room for complacency when 215 million children are still labouring to survive and more than half of these are exposed to the worst forms of child labour, including slavery and involvement in armed conflict. We cannot allow the eradication of child labour to slip down the development agenda — all countries should be striving to achieve this target, individually and collectively"

Juan Somavia, ILO Director-General

Le Bavardage Parlons-en enfin

Fayard | Janvier 2012

https://www.amazon.fr/

"J’enseigne la philosophie en lycée depuis bientôt vingt ans et, au fil des années, je me suis rendu compte que, dans les classes, le problème le plus répandu et le plus délicat à négocier était le bavardage. (...)

Florence Ehnuel, professeure

Alors! Bavardage! Parlons-en? Comme professeure de Langues confrontée quotidiennement au brouhaha dans mes classes, je fais de ce mal une marque positive, un bavardage 'autorisé'.

kids talks at classroom

via Google Images Archive

Moi, je vois souvent le bavardage comme un élément positif, Il peut contenir une certaine pédagogie active, en particulier de la mienne, à savoir un bavardage pleinement 'autorisé', un temps d’expression verbal surtout d’entrée de cours ou petite 'pause' pendant le cours.

Il n'est pas à proscrire, et il est conseillé si c'est le reflèxe de l'interêt des étudiants au sujet qu'on présente en cours. 

Rappelons-nous que la classe est un "lieu de vie et d’échanges".Et que la pédagogie diférenciée est une réalité dans nos jours. 

Je mesure la complexité du sujet, en classe (collège et lycée), mais tentons (conseil d’ancien) une approche raisonnée et mesurée de ce phénomène, en exploitant mieux les richesses potentielles très révélatrices de la société médiatique que nous vivons et peut-être en minimisant un peu plus les aspects négatifs,

Enfin il serait bon aussi de redécouvrir (quelques secondes) la puissance régénératrice du silence en groupe. Ça s'apprend aussi.

Cave of the Heart | Heidi Stoeckley Nogoy

Martha Graham Dance Company

Photo: John Dean

"Through time, through the ages, what endures is mostly art. Art seems to be everything humankind leaves to its heirs – whether through buildings or books or paintings or music. Or movement, or dance. In that sense, I think of dance as the 

most current, the most up-to-date history lesson, as it is in a constant relationship with its most recent past and can only happen in the present."

Siri Larbi Cherkaoui, message 

International Dance Day & Education is the last of these six posts. Since 1982, by the initiative of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), Dance is celebrated throughout the world every year on April 29th. 

Les objectifs de la Journée Internationale de la Danse et du message sont de réunir le monde de la danse, rendre hommage à la danse, célébrer son universalité et, franchissant toutes les barrières politiques, culturelles et ethniques, rassembler l’humanité toute entière en amitié et paix autour de la danse, langage univers. 

https://www.danceworks.com/

• Education:

"Je crois que la danse est l’une des formes d’expression les plus honnêtes, que nous devons chérir : car lorsque les gens dansent, que ce soit dans un ballet, une 

battle hip hop, un spectacle expérimental de danse contemporaine ou simplement dans une discothèque, ils se lâchent, et rarement alors les mensonges peuvent se déployer, les masques se porter. Les gens se reflètent les uns les autres constamment mais quand ils dansent, ce qu’ils reflètent sans doute le plus est ce moment d’honnêteté."

Siri Larbi Cherkaoui, message 

Dance is a fun and fresh integrative part in the school curricula as Music is. Dance is also a good therapy for young people in the school. Dance movement therapy and the power of dance are used to inspire, uplift and heal.

Dance give students the concentration, discipline, and the pleasure to express themselves with creativity.

I really hope that you will enjoy every moment of this 2012 rundown of the most popular posts (1st semester) and will discover some different pedagogical ideas to introduce in your lessons.

Remember! "Your imagination can create a reality" as James Cameron said. School should be a place where our students learn the pleasure to learn and to be imaginative.

Thank you to all of you that kindly read my blog and share my thoughts on Education in your lessons.

"A classroom should not be about a teacher talking, but about students doing"

Happy and Safe Festive Season!

G-Souto

27.12.2012

update 18.08.2026

copyright © 2012G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com

Christmas rundown of the most-read posts #1 by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License