[Tom Bishop]

Occasionally teachers will use the Flat Earth Society to show an example of scientific fallacy, or the unprovability of theories, sometimes playing the part of a Flat Earther and challenging the class to prove him or her wrong.

What if we reached out to classrooms and offered to answer their questions directly? Children would write in and we would take the time to respond to then with detailed answers. It would really get them thinking of ways to beat us. The teacher can use it as an opportunity to have discussions about earth science, astronomy, the scientific method, historical figures, or simply a fun "write to the Flat Earth Society and ask them a question/prove them wrong" exercise. I'm sure at least one teacher out there would be interested in something like that. The answers we write can be put into the Earth Not a Globe book and an announcement can be made on the front page.

[Thork]

I see a lot of this on Twitter.

It may be we could provide an educational pack for teachers rebutting the most obvious claims the earth is round. We'd need to find out what age-groups do this and then maybe allow a free .pdf download under an 'educational resources' part of the site.

For this, because of the intention behind it ... I will gladly allocate some time to generate content, assuming I can get some help and we promote it properly.

We need to be sensible. It has to be a 'round earth' teaching resource that stimulates the questioning behind it. But if we can make a great pack for kids with good diagrams and age-targeted content that fits their syllabus, I'm in.

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

I have to give you guys credit, this takes balls. Good on you! Now, lets say you do this: How do you intend to make a teacher bite?My wife is a public school teacher, and she would laugh her socks off. How do you prevent that from happening? And, seriously, with all of the schools adopting Common Core, and teaching to the test, do you think that a teacher is going to have time for something like this in the classroom, no matter how imaginative it is? In our day, they would have, and a teacher might have done it, just to stimulate creativity in her students, but that day is gone.

I'm honestly NOT trying to crap on your idea. I think its actually a creative and good one that might stimulate critical thinking in a young mind. I'm a REer, but I still believe that embracing theory without asking where it came from is stupid. But how do you intend to get past what I mentioned above? Thoughts?

[markjo]

There is already a study guide to the Bullfrog film In Search of the Edge that may be a good place to start:
http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/guides/searchguide.pdf

[Tom Bishop]

The intention was to get them to write in to us, but the PDF handout is a good idea. Maybe we can include some common exercises the teacher can go over to encourage critical thinking. Teachers like exercises. We can encourage teachers to split their students into small teams of Flat Earthers Vs. Round Earthers. The Flat Earthers have to come up with an argument in favor of a Flat Earth and the Round Earthers have to shoot it down, and vice versa. It will challenge students to research the matter and think for themselves.

[Tau]

I like this. Yaakov, I think they might bite. Teachers like to say that they're teaching their students to think critically. Even looking at it from an obstinate globularist's perspective, I think they'd love to teach a controversy like this one. Their students will be offended by the idea that the Earth is flat and will have to think critically and work together to 'disprove' the notion (presumably to their teacher's satisfaction, rather than to ours).

In fact, I've seen conspiracy theories in the past that this entire society is a clever ploy to get kids to think critically. It's not true, obviously, but I think it could have some merit.

All this being said, I'm not sure this is a thread which belongs in the workshop. Shouldn't this be in the ZC board? I could be completely wrong about this, I haven't even had internet access most of the time for the last few months, but I was of the impression that this board was for discussion of ENaG and nothing else.

[Tom Bishop]

I like this. Yaakov, I think they might bite. Teachers like to say that they're teaching their students to think critically. Even looking at it from an obstinate globularist's perspective, I think they'd love to teach a controversy like this one. Their students will be offended by the idea that the Earth is flat and will have to think critically and work together to 'disprove' the notion (presumably to their teacher's satisfaction, rather than to ours).

In fact, I've seen conspiracy theories in the past that this entire society is a clever ploy to get kids to think critically. It's not true, obviously, but I think it could have some merit.

All this being said, I'm not sure this is a thread which belongs in the workshop. Shouldn't this be in the ZC board? I could be completely wrong about this, I haven't even had internet access most of the time for the last few months, but I was of the impression that this board was for discussion of ENaG and nothing else.

My idea was to have kids write to us, which we would answer and use as content for the Earth Not a Globe book.

[Tau]

I like this. Yaakov, I think they might bite. Teachers like to say that they're teaching their students to think critically. Even looking at it from an obstinate globularist's perspective, I think they'd love to teach a controversy like this one. Their students will be offended by the idea that the Earth is flat and will have to think critically and work together to 'disprove' the notion (presumably to their teacher's satisfaction, rather than to ours).

In fact, I've seen conspiracy theories in the past that this entire society is a clever ploy to get kids to think critically. It's not true, obviously, but I think it could have some merit.

All this being said, I'm not sure this is a thread which belongs in the workshop. Shouldn't this be in the ZC board? I could be completely wrong about this, I haven't even had internet access most of the time for the last few months, but I was of the impression that this board was for discussion of ENaG and nothing else.

My idea was to have kids write to us, which we would answer and use as content for the Earth Not a Globe book.

Sorry. I'm reading on my phone and missed the last sentence. I totally support this idea, including Thork's education packet, and think we should go for it immediately.

What needs to be done to make it happen? Off the top of my head, I'm thinking:

-Detailed description of Flat Earth Theory, for use by teachers
-P.O. box or dedicated email address for correspondence with students
-List of responses to commonly asked questions, so the teachers can debate with the students a bit (hey, this sounds familiar...)
-Powerpoint presentation?

I'm largely basing this off of an educational packet I helped create for an environmental group.

[fliggs]

I cant imagine a single teacher, particularly of younger children, who would let you anywhere near them or their minds. It is one thing to teach critical thinking and yet another to expose them to the kind of nonsense that is the Flat Earth Society. Highly and totally inappropriate. High school kids perhaps, but if you think adult posters on here are harsh, wait until you experience the mocking and slapdown by teenagers.

[Pete Svarrior]

I cant imagine a single teacher, particularly of younger children, who would let you anywhere near them or their minds.

That's okay, you don't need to imagine anything

Much like with your IQ comments, reality clashes with your wishful thinking.