Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The science, economics, and politics involved in the issues the poster raised, whom I was responding to, are complex. Your dismissal of the facts is a good example of what happens, when the education system fails to foster natural inquisitiveness, analytical and research skills, and a holistic worldview.
The resistance to the scientific developments the poster mentioned, that's encountered at home and around the world, is not due to a some mysterious, general "fear" of scientific advancement stemming from poor science education, as the OP posited, nor due to a superficial "image problem". On the contrary; one of the leaders fighting the widespread adoption of GMO seeds in India is a physicist who has inspired activists worldwide.
Scientific developments meet resistance when those implementing them fail to take into account the environmental and human costs, or when there are unforeseen consequences, or when there's a hidden agenda behind their adoption and widespread use.
The effects of nuclear waste leaking into the natural environment also pertain to science. The effects of GMO seeds spreading into fields of precious heirloom varieties, and the reasons why the preservation of heirloom varieties is important, certainly pertain to science. Who is it, who fears and attempts to suppress, that side of the scientific equation?
Ideally, science education would equip students to investigate developments thoroughly, as to potential undesirable effects.
The problem with those issues Ruth, is they are far more political than scientific in nature. That's what makes them so hard to solve.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Physics Guy
While this is true the methodology might be suspect. The last such survey I saw counted me as not having a degree in the field. I have a BS and an MS in engineering and an MS in science education. Many other physics teachers I know are ex-engineers that also count as not having a degree in field. I don't believe that these teachers are holding back the educational system.
Unfortunately, too few engineers teaching. So most students are like my youngest, whose physics teacher was the track coach and simply showed movies each class because he didn't know any physics to teach.
Math and science are taught in every public and private school in the United States.
AP courses are offered in every high school. What were you doing during those years? Wasting your time playing video games, I suppose?
Don't blame the system.
I really don’t think the system had a problem with millennials. It’s really the later generation that will have more problems, as they have been subjected to the common core. I think in theory there is nothing wrong with it, but how it has worked out (esp with regards to math) is a total mess, with kids haven’t to show they know how to do a problem in 4 different ways. My understanding of CC when it came out was that kids learn in different ways and teachers should incorporate that into their curriculum, but in practice it just means that the kids have to be able to learn in 4 different ways instead of learning one of four ways and having that answer be a “right” answer. I think pre CC, students might be shown 1 way and be expected to do the work 1 way, but get the problem wrong if they could complete the problem another way. I really don’t know how the four-way approach is better.
Education is what you make of it, OP. There are plenty of Millennials who took advantage of the opportunities to learn science and math when you were in school. My eldest is one of them, and she had plenty of company. It's not too late for you to give it another go. Good luck!
Math and science are taught in every public and private school in the United States.
AP courses are offered in every high school. What were you doing during those years? Wasting your time playing video games, I suppose?
Don't blame the system.
Having classes names "math" and "science" doesn't mean those subjects are actually taught to any depth. That's the problem in many schools is the actual science isn't there. Just the easily teachable fluff.
I really don’t think the system had a problem with millennials. It’s really the later generation that will have more problems, as they have been subjected to the common core.
There was a study done some years ago that found that the average teen spends 9 hours every day using entertainment media. This includes watching TV, videos and movies, playing video games, listening to music and checking social media. This does not include time spent using media for school or homework.
I wonder if this has anything to do with why so many young people are distracted and unmotivated when it comes to school and academics.
There was a study done some years ago that found that the average teen spends 9 hours every day using entertainment media. This includes watching TV, videos and movies, playing video games, listening to music and checking social media. This does not include time spent using media for school or homework.
I wonder if this has anything to do with why so many young people are distracted and unmotivated when it comes to school and academics.
9 hrs. every weekday? After school, that doesn't leave any time for studying and homework.
I usually had a snack upon arriving home, then some playtime with the neighbor kids, then a couple of hours of studying before dinner, and after dinner was mostly studying/homework, too. Especially the year I had algebra! I was on the phone with a friend comparing notes on the results of our algebra homework, then struggling to figure out where I went wrong with some of the problems. No time for TV or music, most days. We were also given a tremendous amount of reading for literature class, and double that in the year we had US history.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.