I'm not sure if this is exactly worthy of a news post, so I'm going to put it here. I'd also like to know everyone's opinion on the matter.

I can say much without ranting about the public school system in the US and how it's seriously flawed.

"And send any textbook that calls evolution a theory rather than a fact back to the publishers. "
In science a theory is not an educated guess it is something that is proven.
But I guess I am just being a bit nitpicky. Besides that it makes a good point.

That's freaking cool. I was the world's biggest science nerd when I was a kid, and I would have loved to be in a classroom like that. That goodness for space camp!!

I think kids should know alot about science. I remember thinking my own teachers were inadquate and did my own research because I wanted to know more.

One of my favorite things to do is be a judge at the Science Olympics every year, and to go to elementary schools and teach the kids about rocks for a few hours. It's awesome!

Kids can have such an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and I think teachers should strive to fulfill this. Most of my teachers did, I'm happy to say :)

I see astronomy, biology, and earth science. I think if you're going to teach a child science, teach at least a little on each field.

Physics and chemistry has some of the coolest and most visual applications in science. One of the best ways to spark a child's interest (or sense of wonder) in the subject is to show them the more "entertaining" experiments.

I assume the author is referring to only the natural sciences, but if not, a whole mess of social science needs to be tossed in there, too.

The scientific field at large doesn't accept facts.
They accept paradigms that have yet to be proved false.

You gotta keep looking for black swans, eh?

Sixth graders should be taught exclusively that God invented science as a joke, and can change anything at his will.

jk

What an a*****e.

He has some serious issues; Science is very important, and a very vital part of school curriculum, but he needs to take a chill pill. So what if every student doesn't know the actual ratio of distance/size of our galaxy's planets?

I am much more concerned that there are students who are not learning about the ecosystem and how fragile it really is. The more pressing forms of science seem to get little attention while the forms he is talking about are pressed constantly.

I hate to be nitpicky back, but that isn't true. Evolution is not "proven" any more than relativity is "proven" or Coulomb's law is "proven". There is a great deal of evidence for evolution, but no proof. Abstract theorems (as in math) are about the only things that can be truly proven.

There is nothing wrong with referring to it as a theory, because that's just what it is. It is most likely correct, but that doesn't make it any less a theory. The problem comes from the conventional understanding of the term "theory" as something which is not supported and is simply a possibility The Christian right exploits that misunderstanding to promote creationism.

I would like all students to see the universe holistically. I would like my kids when they attend school to understand both the scale of things and how fragile the ecosystem is. I want my kids to understand how to think about the world that surrounds them.

I would rather have my kids leave school knowing how to think rather than have their heads be filled with information and trivia.

Of course when I say "my kids" I mean my hypothetical kids that are yet a twinkle in the womb of my future wife.

It is nice to imagine such a diverse curriculum, but science gets such little attention as it is the schools wouldn't be able to cram all that into their busy little SAT prepping schedule. :-/

But thinking doesn't involve the SAT's?

Sadly, no.

Sixth graders - such an American phrase.

Here, they're grade sixers, eh?

More than they do. But that requires having teachers that know more than many currently do as well.

In general, I think that a large majority of Americans in any age bracket know less about science than they should.

You're probably right, unfortunately the amount of knowledge to be had has grown exponentially in the last 100 years. It just not possible to be well informed about more than a few topics. I personally think science is important, but the argument could be made that people don't know enough about literature or art as well.

Things a sixth grader (or grade sixer) should know:

The world is big, mind numbingly big, and we are a small part of it individually. Our own importantace in the world is not much individually but as a collective whole. Never think of yourself as too important.

The universe is even bigger, and the world is a very insignificant part of that.

Science is not concrete. As our understanding of our little corner of the galaxy expands so does the science. Medicine is still known as practice and for a good reason. Never be afraid to...

THINK. Never accept something simply because someone else said so. Galileo? Copprenicus? Darwin? They've all gone against the 'accepted' and thought on their own. Not every scientist is right, but as long as they're thinking then they're trying.

Failure is an option. It happens alot. Nobody goes out and smashes an atom on their first try. Even when the lightbulb was invented it was failed upon over 100 times.

These principals are more important than 'How many years was the mezzozoic era' on a test. They are the fundamentals of good science.

And one final thing...





Mythbusters are god.

This is pretty awesome, actually.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081120/sc_afp/sciencephysicseinstein_081120235605

you are wrong about relativity....

and for our purposes, evidence is proof. Nihilism and Solipsism are weak.


That is the absolute weakest thing I have heard in some time...seriously? Is this what you will teach your children? That it is okay to be narrow?

Actually, the SAT is every bit about thinking...

outside of math, no real content knowledge is necessary. It is a language and logic and critical thinking test. when was the last time you looked at one?

In fact, the math section is so logic-based that you don't even need the calculator you are allowed to use...students are allowed to use them because they have become retarded by and dependent upon them.

This was 9 months ago. I have no idea what I was saying.

I think maybe I was just down on the idea of standardized testing. I think I might have been suggesting that the SATs involved a degree of learning how to take the test, rather than how to think about the world and our place in it.

I'm talking less about operational knowledge (how to solve math or word problems, etc.), but about philosophy, about teaching children how to think about their place in the world. That, in my opinion, is just as important.

That's something that the SATs doesn't measure as well (or as I was pitifully arguing, I guess, at all).

So, you are right the SATs don't measure trivia and knowledge. I didn't mean to argue that.

Edit: it has also been seven years since I looked at an SAT test.

no sweat...just wanted to clear it up...i am not a fan of the emphasis on testing, i am just, let's say 'invested', in knowing about them.

It might be better if they tested trivia and knowledge...as is, the test continues, as it was designed, to prey upon those who have not been exposed to proper language.

the test was originally designed to hamper the efforts of immigrants and their progeny from gaining access to higher education, and whether consciously or not, continues to do so.

and you are absolutely correct, the SAT, and most other tests, involve a great deal of learning how to take them. Not exclusively, but for some students it is near 100% their only chance at any success.

and my apologies, i have been particularly acerbic lately, sometimes intentionally, but more often not...