By Stephen Ritchie (CSSE Blog Editor)

Were you one of the estimated 300 million television viewers of the Steve Irwin memorial service on Wednesday, September 20, 2006? For those who were not, the service was opened by the Prime Minister of Australia, chaired by the blue-shirted member of The Wiggles – arguably Australia’s best-known boy band – entertained by a True Blue Aussie singer, and consoled by several messages from Hollywood superstars. Crikey! What a turn out!

I was a viewer. I even became embarrassed when I realized I needed to swallow more frequently than usual, if you know what I mean. The service tugged a range of my emotions. While journalists highlighted Bindi’s (i.e., Steve’s 8-year-old daughter) polished cameo performance, I took most notice of a short speech from a research scientist who announced that, prior to Steve’s death, the University of Queensland was about to honor Steve by appointing him an Adjunct Professor in recognition of his contribution to a collaborative research project tracking large estuarine crocodiles – a project that has already realized several discoveries about crocodile behavior. While Steve was a passionate (some might even say crazy) entertainer, he was much more than this. He was an educator, conservationist, wildlife ambassador, and research scientist – albeit, without formal scientific qualifications. In his numerous television (plus one movie) appearances he connected with viewers like no other naturalist. So, how do we make sense of this? and how can the “Steve Irwin phenomenon” be explained from a socio-cultural perspective?

Perhaps it was Steve’s highly charged positive emotional energy that entrained our emotions towards the mutual focus of particular animals that hitherto had been feared or not appreciated, forming solidarity between the viewers (cf. Collins, 2004). This would explain why Germaine Greer’s poorly timed criticism of Steve’s antics copped an avalanche of hostile rebukes from politicians, scientists and the public in general – our memories of Steve Irwin became symbols of our solidarity that needed to be defended. But don’t we need to engage in successful interaction chains face-to-face for solidarity to bond us? What else could be at play?

More important than Steve Irwin’s capacity to entertain, was his educational impact. At a time when kids are turning their backs on formal science studies in high schools and universities around the world, Steve was able to communicate the message of conservation and environmental stewardship so effectively. It appears that children and adults alike DO like science; simply not the way it is taught in schools. What can science educators learn from Steve Irwin’s teaching practices? Are there implications for curriculum reformers and policy makers?

I invite you to comment on the questions posed here in the attempt that we might come to a better collective understanding of the Steve Irwin phenomenon. In so doing, our discussions might even lead to better school-based practices in science education.

Reference

Collins, R. (2004). Interaction ritual chains. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.