Alom Shaha

Last updated
Alom Shaha
Alom Shaha before he got angry (5101623781).jpg
Alom Shaha at an event in 2010 sponsored by I'm a Scientist, Get me out of here! and the Wellcome Trust
Born1973 (age 5051) [1]
Alma mater
Scientific career
Institutions Camden School for Girls
Humanists UK
The Watford UTC
BBC
Royal Institution
Website alomshaha.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Alom Shaha (born 1973) [1] is a British-Bangladeshi science teacher, writer, and filmmaker. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] His books include The Young Atheist's Handbook: Lessons for Living a Good Life Without God, [7] Mr Shaha's Recipes for Wonder: adventures in science round the kitchen table, [8] and Mr Shaha's Marvellous Machines: adventures in making round the kitchen table. [9] He has also written for The Guardian , [10] The Big Issue, [1] BBC Science Focus , [11] New Humanist [12] and New Scientist [13] and spoken at events such as the Richmond Literature Festival [14] and Cheltenham Science Festival. [15] [16]

Contents

Education and early life

Shaha was born in Bangladesh and grew up in a Muslim family in the Elephant and Castle area of London where he developed an interest in atheism. [7] [5] He was educated at University College London [17] where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in physics, followed by Imperial College London (Master of Science degree in science communication), Goldsmiths, University of London (Master of Arts degree in creative writing and life writing and King's College London (Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Physics). [18]

Career

Shaha is a teacher of physics. [19] He taught at Camden School for Girls from 2008 to 2020 [20] and The Watford UTC. [18]

Shaha was elected a councillor in the 1998 Southwark London Borough Council election for the London Borough of Southwark for the Liberal Democrats. [21]

Shaha is a patron of Humanists UK, [22] who have sent his books to secondary schools in the UK. [23] His work has been recognised by fellowships awarded by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) and the Nuffield Foundation. [5] He has worked on content creation for the BBC and the Royal Institution. [18]

Shaha has published books on popular science aimed at children, teenagers and their families including:

Textbooks

Shaha has co-authored textbooks on GCSE Science and A-Level Physics for the AQA examination board published by Oxford University Press:

Media

Alongside appearances on YouTube, [29] Shaha's appearances on mainstream media have included:

Personal life

Shaha speaks Sylheti fluently [5] having been born in a small village in the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Dawkins</span> English evolutionary biologist and author (born 1941)

Richard Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was Professor for Public Understanding of Science in the University of Oxford from 1995 to 2008. His 1976 book The Selfish Gene popularised the gene-centred view of evolution, as well as coining the term meme. Dawkins has won several academic and writing awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Certificate of Secondary Education</span> British public examinations, generally taken aged 15-16

The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of particular subjects, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986, and its first exams sat in 1988. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. However, private schools in Scotland often choose to follow the GCSE system in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AQA</span> British examination board and registered charity

AQA Education, trading as AQA, is an awarding body in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It compiles specifications and holds examinations in various subjects at GCSE, AS and A Level and offers vocational qualifications. AQA is a registered charity and independent of the government. However, its qualifications and exam syllabi are regulated by the Government of the United Kingdom, which is the regulator for the public examinations system in England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International General Certificate of Secondary Education</span> English language based academic qualification

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an English language based secondary qualification similar to the GCSE and is recognised in the United Kingdom as being equivalent to the GCSE for the purposes of recognising prior attainment. It was developed by Cambridge Assessment International Education. The examination boards Edexcel, Learning Resource Network (LRN), and Oxford AQA also offer their own versions of International GCSEs. Students normally begin studying the syllabus at the beginning of Year 10 and take the test at the end of Year 11. However, in some international schools, students can begin studying the syllabus at the beginning of Year 9 and take the test at the end of Year 10.

Physics education or physics teaching refers to the education methods currently used to teach physics. The occupation is called physics educator or physics teacher. Physics education research refers to an area of pedagogical research that seeks to improve those methods. Historically, physics has been taught at the high school and college level primarily by the lecture method together with laboratory exercises aimed at verifying concepts taught in the lectures. These concepts are better understood when lectures are accompanied with demonstration, hand-on experiments, and questions that require students to ponder what will happen in an experiment and why. Students who participate in active learning for example with hands-on experiments learn through self-discovery. By trial and error they learn to change their preconceptions about phenomena in physics and discover the underlying concepts. Physics education is part of the broader area of science education.

Colchester County High School for Girls is a selective girls' grammar school with academy status in Colchester, Essex. The school consistently scores highly in the league tables for the UK. It was joint first in the country in the 2018 secondary GCSE league tables, and ninth in the country in the 2015 A-Level league tables. Entrance to Year 7 is by an academic selection test, the Eleven Plus. Entrance into Year 12 is by GCSE grades, although priority is given to pre-existing pupils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingsdale Foundation School</span> Academy in Southwark, London, England

Kingsdale Foundation School (KFS) is a British mixed secondary school with academy status in West Dulwich, London, with an age range of 11–19 (Year 7 to sixth form). Admissions to the school are coordinated by the Southwark London Borough Council as part of the Pan London Admissions Arrangements. However, many students live in surrounding boroughs, such as Lambeth, Lewisham and Croydon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imtiaz Dharker</span> Pakistan-born British poet, artist, and video film maker

Imtiaz Dharker is a Pakistan-born British poet, artist, and video film maker. She won the Queen's Gold Medal for her English poetry and was appointed Chancellor of Newcastle University from January 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AQA Anthology</span>

The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance has produced Anthologies for GCSE English and English Literature studied in English schools. This follows on from AQA's predecessor organisations; Northern Examinations and Assessment Board (NEAB) and Southern Examining Group (SEG).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipswich High School, Suffolk</span> Private day and boarding school in Ipswich, Suffolk, England

Ipswich High School is a co-educational private school at Woolverstone Hall near Ipswich, England. Formerly an exclusive school for girls, it was converted to co-education in 2018 following acquisition by the China-oriented investment banker London & Oxford Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Al-Khalili</span> British theoretical physicist, author and broadcaster

Jameel Sadik "Jim" Al-Khalili is an Iraqi-British theoretical physicist, author and broadcaster. He is professor of theoretical physics and chair in the public engagement in science at the University of Surrey. He is a regular broadcaster and presenter of science programmes on BBC radio and television, and a frequent commentator about science in other British media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Associated Examining Board</span>

The Associated Examining Board (AEB) was an examination board serving England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1953 until 2000 when it merged with NEAB to form AQA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Piggott School</span> Academy in Wargrave, Reading, Berkshire, England

The Piggott School is a Church of England academy secondary school in Wargrave in Berkshire, England. The school has approximately 1,516 pupils and around 185 teaching staff. The school specialises in Modern Languages and Humanities. It has been awarded International school status by the British Council. The most recent inspection from Ofsted achieved an overall effectiveness rating of 'Good'.

The General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level, or A Level, is a main school leaving qualification in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is available as an alternative qualification in other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverside School, Barking</span> Free school in Barking, Essex, England

Riverside Campus is an 11-18 mixed, secondary free school and selective sixth form situated in Barking Riverside, London, England. It is one of the largest schools in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, with currently over 1,200 students on roll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Science education in England</span> Overview of science education in England

Science education in England is generally regulated at all levels for assessments that are England's, from 'primary' to 'tertiary' (university). Below university level, science education is the responsibility of three bodies: the Department for Education, Ofqual and the QAA, but at university level, science education is regulated by various professional bodies, and the Bologna Process via the QAA. The QAA also regulates science education for some qualifications that are not university degrees via various qualification boards, but not content for GCSEs, and GCE AS and A levels. Ofqual on the other hand regulates science education for GCSEs and AS/A levels, as well as all other qualifications, except those covered by the QAA, also via qualification boards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Examining Group</span>

The Southern Examining Group (SEG) was an examination board offering GCSEs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland formally established in 1987. In 1994, it was taken over by the Associated Examining Board, but kept its own identity until the AEB merged with NEAB to form AQA in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathleen Tattersall</span> English educationist (1942–2013)

Kathleen Tattersall was a British educationalist, specialising in examination administration. She was the leader of five examination boards in the United Kingdom before becoming the first head of exams regulator Ofqual.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Shaha, Alom (2022). "Alom Shaha on the joy of making". bigissue.com. The Big Issue. Archived from the original on 2022-07-29.
  2. Shaha, Alom (2018). "How to be your child's first science teacher". imperial.ac.uk. Imperial College London.
  3. Daren J Caruana; Christoph G Salzmann; Andrea Sella (1 September 2020). "Practical science at home in a pandemic world". Nature Chemistry . 12 (9): 780–783. doi:10.1038/S41557-020-0543-Z. ISSN   1755-4330. PMID   32843749. Wikidata   Q98726080. Many co-conspirators contributed to this set of ideas, among them in no particular order Alom Shaha, Michael Depodesta, Carole Kenrick, Steve Price, Dewi Lewis, Emre Sener, Anna Roffey, Patrick Thompson, Mark Miodownik, Stefan Gates, Bob Worley, Chris Howard, Stephen Potts, Tom Miller, Helen Czerski, Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Paul McMillan, Martin Whitworth and many others
  4. Alom Shaha at Library of Congress
  5. 1 2 3 4 Shaha, Alom (2022). "About Alom". alomshaha.com. Archived from the original on 2015-08-04. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  6. Alom Shaha on Twitter OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  7. 1 2 Shaha, Alom (2014). The Young Atheist's Handbook: lessons for living a good life without God. ISBN   9781849547222. OCLC   880401007. foreword by Jim Al-Khalili
  8. 1 2 Shaha, Alom (2018). Mr Shaha's Recipes for Wonder: Adventures in Science Round the Kitchen Table. Scribe Publications. ISBN   978-1-925321-89-0. OCLC   1041678420.
  9. 1 2 Shaha, Alom (2021). Mr Shaha's Marvellous Machines. ISBN   978-1913348120. OCLC   1255831219.
  10. "Alom Shaha's profile at The Guardian". The Guardian . Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  11. "Alom Shaha: Science teacher, filmmaker and author". sciencefocus.com/author/alomshaha. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  12. "Alom Shaha". newhumanist.org.uk.
  13. "Alom Shaha". newscientist.com/author/alom-shaha. New Scientist . Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  14. "Alom Shaha at Richmond Literature Festival". scribepublications.co.uk. Scribe UK. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  15. Gorman, Chloe (2022-03-31). "Cheltenham Science Festival announces line-up for its 20th anniversary year". soglos.com. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  16. alomshaha.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  17. Schopen, Fay; Shaha, Alom; Mcleod, Maurice; Golby, Joel (2015). "My worst exam result – and how it affected me". The Guardian.
  18. 1 2 3 Alom Shaha on LinkedIn OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  19. Shaha, Alom (2018). "How to find answers to life's questions: A physics teacher on why a career-focused science approach isn't good for students thinking outside the box". Index on Censorship. 47 (3): 36–38. doi: 10.1177/0306422018800255 . S2CID   126067374.
  20. "Alom Shaha". felicitybryan.com. Felicity Bryan Associates. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  21. Anon (1998). "Lambeth/Southwark Election Winners". newsshopper.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  22. "New patron for Humanists UK: Alom Shaha, scientist and educator". humanists.uk. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  23. Flood, Alison (2014-05-01). "Young Atheist's Handbooks sent to secondary schools". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
  24. Shaha, Alom (2023). Why Don't Things Fall Up?: and Six Other Things You Missed at School. ISBN   978-1529348163.
  25. Shaha, Alom (2024-02-08). How to Find a Rainbow. Sarthak Sinha. Scribble UK. ISBN   978-1-915590-39-8.
  26. Reynolds, Helen; Shaha, Alom (2020). Oxford Revise: AQA GCSE Physics Revision and Exam Practice. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-1-382-01797-8.
  27. Reynolds, Helen; Shaha, Alom; Jones, Catherine; Davenport, Carol (2020). Oxford Revise: AQA A-Level Physics. Oxford University Press. ISBN   9781382008600. OCLC   1334125199.
  28. Boxer, Adam; Gardom-Hulme, Philippa; Locke, Jo; Reynolds, Helen; Shaha, Alom; Walmsley, Jessica (2020). Oxford Revise: AQA GCSE Combined Science. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-1382004879.
  29. "Alom Shaha on YouTube". youtube.com/c/alomshaha.
  30. Alom Shaha at IMDb   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  31. 1 2 Shaha, Alom (2015-03-21). "Films". alomshaha.com. Retrieved 2022-10-28.