Fellow of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Gordon William Gavin PenroseCM (July 24, 1925 – December 16, 1997), nicknamed the Zany Dr. Zed, was a Canadian scientist, educator, and author of children's science books.[1] His works have been featured in OWL magazine and ChickaDEE magazine,[2] and he played the role of Dr. Zed for the children's television show OWL/TV.[3][4][5]
Penrose's philosophy was based on interactive science experiments on the belief that children learn best by doing. Consequently, his books describe experiments that require as little adult supervision as possible.[1][6][7] Penrose's audience is eight- to twelve-year-olds, who are in Piaget's "concrete operations" stage, where abstract thinking about hypotheticals is not yet fully developed.[1]
He died on December 16, 1997, at the age of 72.[8]
^Williams, Eve (1990). "Dr Zed's Science Surprises". CM: A Reviewing Journal of Canadian Materials for Young People. The Manitoba Library Association. Retrieved 2018-01-30.