for those who love to teach
a compilation of resources from David Brin and many other teachers
how science fiction teaches science
Many efforts are being made to link science fiction to educational curricula. See these classroom guides, Perfect Pairs, K-2 and Perfect Pairs, 3-5.
Here are some more great teacher resources:
bringing science fiction to academia
Slowly, some universities are becoming reputable centers for scholarship of and about science fiction.
Brin's resources to teach science
Plenty of curated resources for students learning any branch of science!
Of course, you're welcome to use the stories David Brin has posted on this site to create educational materials for your own use.
Feel free to use these Brin-created book discussion guides.
more useful recommendations from writers
create new and better books for kids to read
Consider this quandary: Science fiction images and adventures are more popular than ever, especially with young people, yet very little high quality science fiction is aimed straight for the vast market of adventure-minded teens. While the brightest teens soon graduate to reading more challenging books for grownups, many are discouraged by a scarcity of good, intelligent tales written just for them.
turn kids on to reading... and the future!
A myriad of subjects are probed at the literary end of science fiction. In fact, some classrooms are wrestling with concepts at the very cutting edge — embedded in tales they devour between colorful paper covers.
storming the classroom
Most fan organizations have in their charters a major provision for "outreach and education." Yet this seldom gets priority. Here is a relatively painless approach, already tried with success at several conventions, offering a win-win situation for all: the Saturday morning SF-education mini-conference.
It starts by simply gathering all the routine "SF/youth/education" panels into a cohesive group, then making a real effort to invite area teachers and librarians to attend that part of the con for free (with reasonable upgrades for those wanting to stay). Some teachers can then be recruited to help adjust next year's program to further meet their needs.
In a year or two, the mini-conference can be granting credential credit with momentum all its own. Moreover, it can be a money-maker for the convention, as attendees convert their free half-day memberships and tell their friends! Later, corporate sponsorships become a real possibility.
With teachers and librarians on board, you can generate great projects that involve kids in creative ways; for example, running a science fiction reading, writing and art contest in area schools, culminating in a grand awards ceremony at the local con.
This kind of thing has worked already — at Worldcon in Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, and every year in Salt Lake City.
If nothing else, running a focused "SF & Education Miniconference" sure beats scattering the usual youth- and education-related panels all over the weekend. It seems worthwhile to focus some effort on the future, since that's what SF is all about.
great science reads for curious children
letting others have their say
Ada Twist's Big Project Book for Stellar Scientists, by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos, by Stephanie Roth Sisson
Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words, by Randall Munroe
The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book, by Tom Robinson
The Elements Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of the Periodic Table, by DK and The Smithsonian Institution
Moonbound: Apollo 11 and the Dream of Spaceflight, by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm
The Science Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained, by DK
Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women, by Catherine Thimmesh and Melissa Sweet
Never Too Young: 50 Unstoppable Kids Who Made a Difference, by Aileen Weintraub and Laura Horton
My First Human Body Book, by Patricia J. Wynne and Donald M. Silver
#AmazonCommissionsEarned
Continue reading more articles for those who love to learn a lifetime's worth of science.
a brief intro to science fiction author DAVID BRIN
To learn more, visit his books page, or see his "about me" page or detailed biography.
novels
David Brin's science fiction novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages. They range from bold and prophetic explorations of our near-future to Brin's Uplift series, envisioning galactic issues of sapience and destiny (and star-faring dolphins!). Learn More
shorter fiction
Short stories and novellas have different rhythms and artistic flavor, and Brin's short stories and novellas, several of which earned Hugo and other awards, exploit that difference to explore a wider range of real and vividly speculative ideas. Many have been selected for anthologies and reprints, and most have been published in anthology form. Learn More
Contrary Brin blog
Since 2004, David Brin has maintained a blog about science, technology, science fiction, books, and the future — themes his science fiction and nonfiction writings continue to explore. Learn More
social media influencer
Who could've predicted that social media — indeed, all of our online society — would play such an important role in the 21st Century — restoring the voices of advisors and influencers! Lively and intelligent comments spill over onto Brin's social media pages. Learn More
scientist
David Brin's Ph.D in Physics from the University of California at San Diego (the lab of nobelist Hannes Alfven) followed a masters in optics and an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Caltech. Every science show that depicts a comet now portrays the model developed in Brin's PhD research. Learn More
transparency expert
Brin's non-fiction book, The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Freedom and Privacy?, continues to receive acclaim for its accuracy in predicting 21st Century concerns about online security, secrecy, accountability and privacy. Learn More
speaker & consultant
Brin speaks plausibly and entertainingly about trends in technology and society to audiences willing to confront the challenges that our rambunctious civilization will face in the decades ahead. He also talks about the field of science fiction, especially in relation to his own novels and stories. To date he has presented at more than 300 meetings, conferences, corporate retreats and other gatherings. Learn More
future/tech advisor
Brin advises corporations and governmental and private defense- and security-related agencies about information-age issues, scientific trends, future social and political trends, and education. Urban Developer Magazine named him one of four World's Best Futurists, and he was appraised as "#1 influencer" in Onalytica's Top 100 report of Artificial Intelligence influencers, brands & publications. Past consultations include Google, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and many others. Learn More
