COMMUNICATION PIECES
Inspiring change through science communication
Here you can find examples of: videos on Agroforestry in the UK, Creative Science Communication, a piece for primary-aged children, and a press release based on a journal article...
Agroforestry uptake and Epistemic Uncertainty
Here is a 3 minute Youtube video about the theory of Epistemic Uncertainty, and how it applies to the uptake of Agroforestry by UK farmers. If you'd like to see the scientific documents that informed the video, references can be found HERE
"Farming Using Trees" Creative Piece
This is a piece of creative songwriting based on a scientific article from 2020. It uses peer-reviewed communication techniques to explain why Agroforestry is good for biodiversity in temperate climates. If you'd like to read the references on those communication techniques, they can be found at the bottom of this page, based on numbers in the commentary box below...
COMMENTARY ON THIS CREATIVE PIECE
This song, “Farming Using Trees” was written as a direct response to a 2020 paper by Alexa Varah and colleagues about the effect of agroforestry systems on pollinators in temperate climates . It is directed at a general public audience, but also at those involved in farming and nature conservation, who could stand to benefit from Agroforestry .
The decision to create a song was informed by a desire to create emotional responses, to allow the audience to experience the information and allow new ways of thinking . I wanted to create engagement with the ideas in the paper and make it more accessible to an everyday audience . I chose to use video format rather than audio alone because video has been shown to be a successful medium to attract attention to science topics and because it helps to build a narrative that assists communication . I used strong rhyme and meter to improve understanding as they are both shown to produce more intense processing responses, as well as positive emotional responses .
In order to try to make the song itself successful, I also investigated songwriting techniques, including trying to tell “the story” in less than 3 minutes and writing a “hook” (chorus) that gives a simple message about why the finding is important.
I also did all the things above because it was fun!
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Please visit the bottom of this page for the references for this piece
"Farming with Trees" - Piece for
Primary-age children
This is a video for class teachers of Key Stage 1. It is designed to work with the KS1 science curriculum as classroom viewing, and uses peer-reviewed communication techniques for children. If you'd lke to see references for those techniques, they can be found at the bottom of this page, based on the numbers in the commentary box below...
COMMENTARY ON THIS PRIMARY-AGE PIECE
This primary-age communication piece “Farming with Trees” is aimed at UK Key Stage 1 children. Using National Curriculum guidelines , scientific studies, published histories , and educator websites and blogs, I have tried to create a piece that educates, informs and entertains.
I have tried to ask higher-order questions that children can answer in different ways ,and scientific language (e.g. Agroforestry; Ecosystem services) as these are both tenets of the KS1 National Science Curriculum . I have also used non-statutory elements of the guidelines to investigate how conditions affect the number and types of animals/plants that might live there (biodiversity). I have focused on the key principles of the topic and simplified some of the language . Use of verbs to think about science as relational and action-based rather than object-based has been shown to be useful , so I have included lots of doing words and actions in the piece. I have tried to engage children in creative thinking as this has been shown to reflect positively on their understanding of science . I chose to use puppets as these have been shown to have a positive effect on children’s education . And the use of video has been shown to mobilise children’s attention and aid with understanding of abstract concepts . Humour can enhance learning in children , so I have tried to introduce lots! My 6-year-old son laughed anyway...
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Please visit the bottom of this page for the references for this piece
Press Release on Hedgerow Planting
Here is a press release on Hedgerow Planting aimed at the farming press and based on a scientific study from 2023. The release can be viewed here or downloaded in MS Word format from the button below. To read the paper that informed the release, please click HERE
PRESS RELEASE - 07.11.23
Growing Hedgerows helps UK farmers benefit from net-zero
A new study has shown that planting more hedgerows in the UK can make a substantial contribution to achieving net-zero targets by 2050. The study found that planting 193,000 km of hedges would soak up over 130 million tonnes of CO2 and help reduce annual emissions from UK agriculture by up to 4.5% over the next 40 years. However, current plans for planting are not high enough, and government plans for hedgerow creation need to increase fourfold in order to achieve net-zero goals.
Barriers for farmers and landowners to planting are mainly financial, either due to planting costs, or production losses, but these can be offset by current funding schemes. Although many farmers have accessed finance for hedgerow planting through public Agri-Environment schemes, a large number have self-funded hedgerow planting and so contribute substantially to national planting efforts. In light of studies like this one, there is increased private finance interest in offsetting carbon emissions from business to meet corporate and supply-chain net-zero targets.
Production losses are small, and may be offset by payments for environmental benefits.
Sofia Biffi, lead author of the study said, “hedgerows provide a wide range of ecosystem services while occupying a small area of land around agricultural fields, making them a promising option for climate change mitigation and for the delivery of multiple benefits to farmed landscapes. New hedgerows are normally planted around existing field boundaries, and recent standards in Agri-Environment schemes have made this a requirement, so yield loss should not be considered a major barrier under such schemes.”
Hedgerows sequester (soak up) a large amount of Carbon, but a lack of studies in temperate zones have made it difficult to quantify the effect in real terms. This study, across 5 dairy and beef farms in Cumbria, took samples from 1m hedge sections to assess Carbon and Nitrogen content. The work was performed by a professional hedge-layer after annual trimming during the winter dormant period. Carbon content was analysed and calculated to give 3.4 Tg CO2 stored in Above-Ground-Biomass and 10.13 Tg CO2 stored in Hedge-Total-Biomass and in the soil over a 40-year period. This detailed knowledge will help farmers to make a strong case for new hedgerows on their farms, while benefitting biodiversity, with potential positive effect on crop health and yield.
In the UK, the Climate Change Committee has called for a 40 % increase in hedgerow length by 2050, with an interim goal of a 20 % increase by 2035, and with access to more funding over time, farmers can be assured of their place contributing to the nation’s net-zero goals while securing on-farm benefits.
ENDS
Author Contact Information:
For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact Sofia Biffi, University of Leeds, School of Geography, Seminary St, Woodhouse, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Images attached to this release:
1. Hedgerow (Annie Spratt, www.unsplash.com - Attribution and royalty free)
2. Field (red-zeppelin, www.unsplash.com - Attribution and royalty free)
Images are full-size JPEG, attached at medium resolution
Download the press release in
MS Word format or PDF here
References
Here you'll find references on science communication techniques for 2 of the pieces on this page.
Numbers in-text in the commentaries above link to references in each box
Creative Piece: "Farming Using Trees"
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1. Varah, A., Jones, H., Smith, J. & Potts, S. G. 2020. Temperate agroforestry systems provide greater pollination service than monoculture. Agriculture, ecosystems & environment, 301, 107031.
2. Soil Association. 2018. Agroforestry in England: Benefits, Barriers and Opportunities. Available at: https://www.soilassociation.org/media/15756/agroforestry-in-england_soilassociation_june18.pdf. Accessed 10.10.23
3. Carless, D. & Douglas, K. 2011. What's in a song? How songs contribute to the communication of social science research. British journal of guidance & counselling, 39, 439-454.
4. Ward, S. J., Price, R. M., Davis, K. & Crowther, G. J. 2018. Songwriting to learn: how high school science fair participants use music to communicate personally relevant scientific concepts. International journal of science education. Part B. Communication and public engagement, 8, 307-324.
5. Huang, C.-J. & Allgaier, J. 2015. What science are you singing? A study of the science image in the mainstream music of Taiwan. Public Underst Sci, 24, 112-125.
6. Avraamidou, L. & Osborne, J. 2009. The Role of Narrative in Communicating Science. International journal of science education, 31, 1683-1707.
7. Obermeier, C., Menninghaus, W., Von Koppenfels, M., Raettig, T., Schmidt-Kassow, M., Otterbein, S. & Kotz, S. A. 2013. Aesthetic and emotional effects of meter and rhyme in poetry. Front Psychol, 4, 10-10.
8. Tough, D. 2013. Teaching Modern Production and Songwriting Techniques: What Makes a Hit Song? MEIEA, 13, 97-124.
9. Tough, D. 2017. An Analysis of Common Songwriting and Production Practices in 2014-2015 Billboard Hot 100 Songs. MEIEA, 17, 79-120.
10. Stewart, J. C. N. 2015. Songwriting and science. Science, 349, 446-446.
Primary-age Piece: "Farming With Trees"
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1. Department For Education (DFE). 2015. National Curriculum in England: Science Programmes of Study. In: EDUCATION, D. F. (ed.). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-science-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-science-programmes-of-study.
2. Bohn, J. L., Diemont, S. A. W., Gibbs, J. P., Stehman, S. V. & Mendoza Vega, J. 2014. Implications of Mayan agroforestry for biodiversity conservation in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. Agroforestry Systems, 88, 269-285.
3. Tofade, T., Elsner, J. & Haines, S. T. 2013. Best Practice Strategies for Effective Use of Questions as a Teaching Tool. Am J Pharm Educ, 77, 155-155.
4. Andersson, K. & Gullberg, A. 2014. What is science in preschool and what do teachers have to know to empower children? Cultural Studies of Science Education, 9, 275-296.
5. Department For Education (DFE). 2015. National Curriculum in England: Science Programmes of Study. In: EDUCATION, D. F. (ed.). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-science-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-science-programmes-of-study.
6. Bonoan, R. 2017. 9 tips for communicating science to children [Online]. https://www.rachaelebonoan.com/single-post/2017/05/24/9-tips-for-communicating-science-to-children. Available: https://www.rachaelebonoan.com/single-post/2017/05/24/9-tips-for-communicating-science-to-children [Accessed 18/11/23 2023].
7. Areljung, S. 2020. Capturing the world with verbs: Preschool science education beyond nouns and objects. Contemporary issues in early childhood, 21, 70-82.
8. Feasey, R. 2005  Creative Science : Achieving the WOW Factor with 5-11 Year Olds, London, David Fulton Publishers.
9. Kroger T. & Nupponen, A. M. 2019. Puppet as a Pedagogical Tool: A Literature Review. International electronic journal of elementary education, 11, 393-401.
10. Evangelou, F. 2023. Video as an Educational Tool for Teaching and Learning for Primary School Students: A Research Approach by Greek Teachers. European Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 4, 104-111.
11. Schouela, J.M. 2022. Learning Through Laughter: The Integration of Comedy Into the Academic Curriculum. LEARNing Landscapes, 15.
12. Jeder, D. 2015. Implications of Using Humor in the Classroom. Procedia, social and behavioral sciences, 180, 828-833.
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Get in touch
Please contact me if you have any questions about my research or would like to talk about any creative projects