In Science class, Primary 6 students learned about Movement of Light. In this chapter, they learned that light has two properties, they are reflection and refraction. Reflection happens when light falls and bounces of a surface. Because of reflection, students can see things that they cannot see directly, for example it happens when we use the mirror to see ourself. In the other hands, refraction happens when light bends as it travels through two or more different mediums. Refraction creates a visual distortion, making things look bigger, smaller or closer than the reality.
To deepen students’ understanding about reflection and refraction, students had a session where they could observe and try some optical tools at school. There were six optical tools in total, they were mirror, magnifier, periscope, telescope, microscope and binocular. In this activity, students made a small group of 2-3 members. There were six groups in a class. Each group was given one kind of optical tool and its short explanation written in paper given by the teacher. They needed to try the tool and find out how light moves in each tool so it can function well. After some times, the group will be given another tool, allowing each student to try all the six tools provided.
From this activity, students didn’t only learn about the concept of reflection and refraction, but they also learn how reflection and refraction can be used in their real life. Besides that, students also learned many kinds of optical tools that may bring benefit for them. For example, magnifier can be used for seeing tiny objects around them, binocular can be used to see specific object far away, periscope can be used to observe surroundings from a concealed, submerged, or protected position, etc. Not only learning about the tools, they also learned how to handle each tool correctly so it could be used correctly and safely.
Learning about reflection and refraction offers many advantages for students’ life. First, they can understand natural phenomena in Science, related to light. For example, how rainbow can form through refraction and how object appear at different depths in water. Second, students can learn about everyday technology and vision. For example, they can understand the importance of refraction in designing eyeglasses, contact lenses or magnifier, or how the knowledge of reflection is used for using side-view mirror and periscope. Lastly, they can use this knowledge for advanced studies in Science, engineering, and optical design.
