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Natasha -
Those are some pretty provocative statements. I suspect others will have
much to say, so I'd just like to chime in with 1 comment and 1
clarification:
*COMMENT*
You wrote: "We have to finally accept that not everyone, in fact, almost
no-one, is interested or capable of true scientific thinking and
working. Just like not everyone, almost no-one is able to be a artistic
virtuoso (in any art). We can teach a lot of people to play the
harmonica, even the piano, but only a few will make it their lifetime
(pre)occupation."
I agree that, at present, interest in scientific thinking and working is
low, but I disagree with your position on individuals' capacity for it.
We could probably go around and around on whether or not there is such a
thing as a "natural inclination" or talent for science (or music, or
business...), but I think taking the position that "almost no-one
is...capable of true scientific thinking and working" gets us
dangerously close to pre-determining who those people might be and
therefore limiting access to science/science education.
I think it's important to remember that the point of the "science for
all" perspective (i.e., the perspective of "Benchmarks for Science
Literacy" and "The National Science Education Standards" in the US) is
consistent with your conclusion: "We can help provide as many
experiences of science, of natural phenomena, as possible." But those
experiences should be provided to all students - in school and out -
regardless of what we think of their interest or aptitude. The more
students who experience science, the more who might become interested
and spark a previously untapped aptitude for scientific thinking and
working.
*CLARIFICATION*
You wrote: "We have to remind ourselves that socioeconomic factors play
a
role in students' success rate: comparing US students, a very
diverse bunch, with, for example, Finnish or Singaporean students is
not really fair."
This might be true, and certainly the context in which students
experience science, including the resources available to them and to
their classmates, is important. That said, data from the Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA), a project of the Organization
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), indicates that the US
ranks 24th out of 29 countries in Math Performance. When only the scores
from High-SES students are considered, the US ranks 23rd out of 29
countries. Although these are Math scores and not Science scores, they
certainly are suggestive and challenge the notion that international
comparisons are unfair - at least on the grounds of student SES.
Thanks again for the provocative statements.
Bill
Bill Watson
Research Assistant, SCALE-uP
Doctoral Candidate, Curriculum & Instruction
The George Washington University
(202) 994-1171
www.gwu.edu/~scale-up
-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Natasha Aristov
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 10:29 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: STEM articles, science and the public at large
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
************************************************************************
*****
The "problem" of science education is enormous. It spans the globe,
as I know from my life here in Germany.
It is not a matter of creating or choosing a particular curriculum or
method of teaching (inquiry based or "teach to the test" or based on
"everyday phenomena" or whatever).
1. We have to finally accept that not everyone, in fact, almost
no-one, is interested or capable of true scientific thinking and
working. Just like not everyone, almost no-one is able to be a
artistic virtuoso (in any art). We can teach a lot of people to play
the harmonica, even the piano, but only a few will make it their
lifetime (pre)occupation.
2. We have to accept that the people that we are training to become
teachers are exactly those who did not feel a particular attraction
to the sciences -- else they would have become scientists. I KNOW
that there are exceptions -- I am one. And I believe that ALL
informal science educators are individuals who have a passion for
science AND for preaching the "way" of science.
2a. We have to accept the fact that unmotivated teachers will
produce poorly prepared students, who may thus become teachers that
are even less well prepared to teach than their teachers were... it's
a downward spiral.
3. We have to accept that doing real science, like doing art,
requires PRACTICE. We have to "teach to the test" (at some
point): the vocabulary and the ("grammatical") rules.
4. We have to remind ourselves that science has never been practiced
so widely and in such depth as it is being practiced today --despite
the supposedly high attrition rates out of these disciplines.
5. We have to remind ourselves that socioeconomic factors play a
role in students' success rate: comparing US students, a very
diverse bunch, with, for example, Finnish or Singaporean students is
not really fair.
What can we do?
We can help provide as many experiences of science, of natural
phenomena, as possible.
We can be evangelical (no, I'm not a creationist): we can show the
people we come into contact with, just how amazed we are about--
well, actually everything.
We can remind people that, besides being fantastic, the work of
scientists becomes useful technology.
I believe that most of us subscribing to this list are already doing
that.
Natasha
College of Education, Ludwigsburg, Germany
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