Bill Bryson inspires students with focus on ‘understanding’

If anyone can ignite young people’s curiosity about science then Bill Bryson can. 

The bestselling author of books like Notes from a Small Island and A Short History of Nearly Everything enthralled 450 students and their teachers last week when he delivered the annual Prince’s Teaching Institute (PTI) lecture.

His key themes were the importance of understanding science and the value of teaching it creatively but his talk ranged from his fear of being attacked by a grizzly bear during the course of his research to his belief that teaching is “heroic”.

The PTI had invited schools across England and Wales to send groups of year 11 to 13 students studying science and English to the event, which was held at the Royal Institution in London. Applications flooded in and teenagers from 36 schools travelled from as far afield as Pontypridd, Birmingham and Portsmouth to hear the writer speak.