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well, just to be a contrarian, this isn't a universal problem.  this whole article is based upon a comparison of US achievement in international tests with other countries.  If I were to guess, I wouldn't think that teachers in singapore  are encouraging children to construct their knowledge for themselves.  They live and work in a culture where learning is honored, where achievement in math and science is considered a high goal, and teachers are paid, respected and supported well.  Also, some of the cultures with high achievement are quite authoritarian in their teaching approaches, and others, like the scandinavian countries, have less of an authoritarian tradition.

It would be lovely to think that there is some tweaking we can do to teaching styles, or even some dramatic overhaul of what goes on in the classroom, that would have a profound impact on these relative outcomes.  I think it is more profoundly cultural.  I am constantly struck with the ongoing anti-science thinking even among well educated peers.  I think the decades long investments in informal science learning are helping (from NOVA to after school science clubs and maker clubs) to change this culture, but the segment of society that is hostile to or scared of science still seems to hold sway.

It is worth the time and effort to try to change teaching practices, but I think the more sustained impact is going to result from changes outside of school.

Eric



On Dec 9, 2013, at 10:55 AM, jbellina <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> This comment is an example of one of the core problems.  We cannot serve knowledge, people do not receive knowledge, they construct for themselves based on their experiences, in the world, in the classroom, and in the museum and science center.  As long as we think in terms of delivery of knowledge, we are doomed to have dumb students.
> 
> Read Ted Ansbacher.
> 
> joe
> 
> Joseph J. Bellina, Jr. Ph.D.
> Emeritus Professor of Physics
> Co-Director
> Northern Indiana Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Collaborative
> 574-276-8294
> [log in to unmask]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Dec 8, 2013, at 2:33 PM, Louis Rawlins wrote:
> 
>> we already know what needs to be done and it just deserves a little
>> tweaking in how we serve it.
>> 
>> I'd argue that we need to look more at how people are receiving this
>> knowledge and how we can facilitate that best.
> 
> 
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