Biographical game

The activity:

Given a process or a technique, the students will be asked to find out who invented/discovered it. Also, why did the person work on this particular problem, and what was the purpose of the original work.

This activity works better if it is announced to the students in advance, so they can do some preliminary reading. It can be proposed in the previous class, or announced through e-mail if this is an accepted form of class communication. An interesting variation is to have a different group every week prepare a brief presentation about the current topic of interest.

The idea is to understand how scientific minds work and to be able to emulate the process. The scientific method can be viewed as a real series of events in which failed experiments are as valuable as successful ones. By taking a look at the process of discovery, the students may become more aware of their own scientific disposition.

Make sure to select suitable material for this activity, and to provide the class with some hints to start their search.