WELCOME TO SCIENCEsEDiment
What happened to curiosity?
Sometime, somewhere, in a galaxy far, far away, for reasons unknown, curiosity was befuddled. That is to say that it was denatured, sedated, stunted, lobotomized…
COMING SOON
SCIENCEsEDiment’s four main curiosity modes
ABOUT this WEBSITE
Exceedingly committed to radicalizing curiosity...
SCIENCEsEDiment is an aspiration, an intervention, and a resource; it is one educator’s attempt to rewild curiosity, to restore a respectable measure of dignity to it, and to extricate it from a few of its more elaborate, overburdening entanglements. The hope is that these actions will vivify curiosity, thus rendering it a force to be reckoned with in both life and education.
SCIENCEsEDiment is a website for both students and educators (including teachers and teacher educators). Although its creator works primarily with middle school science students and teachers, the contents of the site may prove useful to science students and educators at all levels of K-12 schooling.
The HEADQUARTERS
Radical curiosity demands its own center of operations...
For students, the Headquarters offers grade level-based, birds-eye views of key resources designed to help student scientists radicalize their curiosity. Visiting educators interested in radicalizing curiosity also have their own special headquarters. By following the links below, students and educators can start diving into the bedazzling world of curiosity.
MODES of CURIOSITY
Curiosity à la Mode...
There are countless ways of radicalizing one's curiosity. Although this site's primary focus is on scientific curiosity, it also presents additional modes of curiosity for science students and teachers to integrate into their work/play habits. Some of these other modes are infused with anthropology and natural history, while others are infused with artistic and gastronomic sensibilities. And yet, all of the modes showcased on this website are seen as highly compatible with--as well as complementary to--science. In fact, exploring and learning about a wide variety of curiosity modes can only strengthen the work of those whose aim it is to work primarily in the scientific mode.
The four main curiosity modes developed within the pages of this website are briefly summarized here:
EXPLORER
A mode inspired by the worldview of Canadian author and illustrator, Keri Smith.
NOTICER
A mode inspired by the work of American anthropologist, Anna Tsing.
NATURALIST
Three sub-modes inspired by the idiosyncratic habits of three eminent 18th/19th Century naturalists.
SCIENTIST
A mode inspired by the day-to-day habits of working laboratory and field scientists.
The SHED
I need support for my radical curiosity. Where can I find some helpful tools?
SCIENCEsEDiment is not Hogwarts Castle, and so, it lacks a proper Room of Requirement. What it does have, however, is a shed. In other words, it has a defined space where a number of nimble tools have been stashed over the years in a semi-organized manner. As is the case with non-digital sheds, you might have to dig around a bit to find what it is you’re searching for, but for those willing to patiently sift through the rubble there are precious gems and rare treasures to unearth. Here are a few of its most frequently visited shelves and corners…
01
ALIMENTARY
SCHOOL
02
WORD
GLOSSARY
03
‘HOW TO’
TUTORIALS
04
I 
SCIENCE
05
THE
KIOSK
06
RUBRIC
LIBRARY
07
THE
TOOLBOX
08
WRITING
WORKSHOP
"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious."
The NOTICING GALLERY
Take in some visual displays of radical curiosity...
Like the great public museums populating London’s cityscape, admission into SCIENCEsEDiment’s Noticing Gallery is free. There, you will find an ever-expanding visually-oriented collection of student and teacher curiosity on full display. Once there, take your time, look around, notice, wonder, puzzle, imagine, and/or leave comments.
If you have an idea for a Noticing Gallery you’d like to create and host on SCIENCEsEDiment, be sure to get in touch with us!
The BLOG
I like this radical curiosity stuff. Where can I find more?
During a typical school year, Dr. Merritt publishes a much-valued This Week in Science! entry for each of his active courses prior to the start of each week, but he also publishes Newsworthy entries when major scientific discoveries/events have occurred or when something else in the wider world–whether impactful or trivial–has grabbed his attention.
The SCIENCEsEDiment Blog is also home to other types of entries, such as The Sunday Naturalist, The Bookworm (Coming soon!), and The Weight of the World (Coming soon!).
If you’d like to be a guest Blogger on SCIENCEsEDiment, please get in touch!