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Coalman, I can see that you have taken the time to be informed on the subject and I can see your passion. I very much respect that.
I too come from a line of miners. My grandfather, great grandfather, and great great grandfather worked the north slope in Archbald. My Dad's family got here later, but his father too worked the mines. It is a part of my ancestry and I am proud of all of them.
Hyperbole on both sides of the issue presents a problem for our public and with our students in particular. If there were an equal probability that Rush and MSN were correct, which would make more sense to err on?
I am sure that there are enough scientists who would be willing to defend their positions (based upon WHO was sponsoring the grants - I am sure if EXXON were to choose to sponsor research on climate change, there would be substantial money for favorable research.
This is from the IPCC panel - this is the short list of what are considered facts...not anecdotal findings:
Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades, according to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies
• The rate of warming is increasing. The 20th century's last two decades were the hottest in 400 years and possibly the warmest for several millennia, according to a number of climate studies. And the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that 11 of the past 12 years are among the dozen warmest since 1850.
• The Arctic is feeling the effects the most. Average temperatures in Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Russia have risen at twice the global average, according to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report compiled between 2000 and 2004.
• Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and indigenous cultures are already suffering from the sea-ice loss.
• Glaciers and mountain snows are rapidly melting—for example, Montana's Glacier National Park now has only 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910. In the Northern Hemisphere, thaws also come a week earlier in spring and freezes begin a week later.
• Coral reefs, which are highly sensitive to small changes in water temperature, suffered the worst bleaching—or die-off in response to stress—ever recorded in 1998, with some areas seeing bleach rates of 70 percent. Experts expect these sorts of events to increase in frequency and intensity in the next 50 years as sea temperatures rise.
• An upsurge in the amount of extreme weather events, such as wildfires, heat waves, and strong tropical storms, is also attributed in part to climate change by some experts.
Now what do the scientists think of its cause?
The report, based on the work of some 2,500 scientists in more than 130 countries, concluded that humans have caused all or most of the current planetary warming. Human-caused global warming is often called anthropogenic climate change.
And they go on to list the human caused events.
I know that I may not be able to sway your opinions, and that is not my intent.
Our population needs to make informed, FACT based decisions and would do better to avoid certain "news" - commentary entertainment because what some of these celebreties are taken very seriously, and in fact becomes their defacto dogma.
It then takes a great deal of concerted effort to eliminate the "bad" science.
In Virginia we offer at least two diploma...advanced (college prep) and general. What I have seen over my career is the removal of trades in high school. To me that is a crime. To think that all students are headed for college is foolish. We would do a better service to have the building trades, auto trades and the like as part of selected curriculum. They now have to attend our local community college to get that training.
Okay so I see this article today about how only a third of PA 8th Graders are proficient in science. What is the deal with people learning science and math? Out of all the subjects I've taken throughout my career it's the science and math courses that seem to confuse people and I'm not sure why. And I'm not talking high level math or science either. And I'm not really talking about 8th grade students either, but just in general when it comes to high school students and most adults. I've said it before and I'll say it again, when it comes to math and science the general public is so unbelievably dumb it's quite embarrassing.
For some odd reason people just don't understand basic basic science, and I'm not kidding when I say this either. I always found it interesting when I see large amounts of freshmen entering schools like Bloomsburg University as biology majors and then seeing that number literally cut in half by the end of the first year, if not the end of the first semester. They must see the course requirements and the lab requirements and say 'hell no' and switch majors and go into something else like business, which I'm not saying is a bad thing. In general, do most people find basic biology and physical science tough to understand? And if so, what exactly is it that they don't understand? Maybe it's the way it's being taught, maybe it's their homelife or their upbringing, not sure but it's quite alarming to see so many people unable to understand basic basic science and math. How do we as a society help change the way most people think about everyday science and math?
What makes you think this is not normal or not good? So what 1/3 of 8th graders don't like science or math. What percentage would be the "right" percentage?
To the OP...algebra and biology (the first math & science courses offered at my HS) were much easier for me than trig, calculus, chemistry, and earth science were. I hated the upper level math and science classes and passed them by begging my teachers lol.
I did put in my effort and time into studying but for some reason nothing would ever click. I'll admit it, I did have to cheat my way through nearly everything in those classes.
I excelled in English and history because I'm a good writer and I can memorize a lot of things easily. But math and science have a lot of "what if" type of things to them. I mean, really, nothing in history changes and the English language doesn't exactly change all the time.
Ugh, I couldn't even pass my Accounting class that I took 3 times. 3 times tried, 3 times failed.
What makes you think this is not normal or not good? So what 1/3 of 8th graders don't like science or math. What percentage would be the "right" percentage?
This is not an issue of liking or not liking a subject. The OP is indicating that less than 1/3 of 8th graders did well enough on a national test to score in the proficient range in science. This would mean that more than 2/3 of 8th graders do not understand science well enough to receive an adequate score on the test.
I did the sample questions that were placed online when this report was released. Frankly some of the questions centered on content my third grader is being taught this year. Half of the 8th grade students answered these elementary school questions incorrectly. That is a concern.
I think the problems with science and math start at a young age. My oldest daughter was struggling with math in first grade, and it was hard to get her help. Most elementary schools have language and speech pathologists. Very few elementary schools have math specialists. For this reason, math disabilities and math weaknesses are often not caught until middle school. That is too late. Since math skills build over time, students need to be mastering the content at each grade level before moving forward.
I also have run into a number of elementary teachers who say they don't like math or science themselves. If they are not teaching it well, this is going to affect the students.
There also is a problem attracting people who are good at math and science (and can teach well!) into the teaching profession. Most people can make a lot more money in other jobs in the fields that require skill in these areas.
Why can't most people understand science and math?
It requires a little more mental effort than ABC and 1,2,3...
The great American misconception is that all Americans are somehow "above average." And that's absolute BS. In a nation of 300 million individuals, there are 100 million below average. And half of those are well below average. Expecting much mental output from that segment of our citizenry is unrealistic.
Yet, these same folks seem to think that any evidence of dummies in our midst is a result of failure in education.
The plain truth is that no school will make the dullards mentally sharp. They won't make the shorties tall or the uglies attractive, either. Genetics trumps.
Last edited by Old Gringo; 05-14-2012 at 10:27 AM..
I think a lot of "math anxiety" (and subsequently science anxiety) starts in elementary school where many of the teachers are not comfortable with math and science, themselves. If you look at a group of elementary teachers, most list their favorite subjects in school as social studies and language arts, rather than math/science. This changes in middle/high school where the teachers have certain subject areas, but some kids come into MS thinking they're "no good" at these subjects b/c they weren't well taught.
I have long said this, and my daughter went to a college that had a lot of ed majors, and she confirmed that, at least at her school, this was true of el ed majors.
I think the problems with science and math start at a young age. My oldest daughter was struggling with math in first grade, and it was hard to get her help. Most elementary schools have language and speech pathologists. Very few elementary schools have math specialists. For this reason, math disabilities and math weaknesses are often not caught until middle school. That is too late. Since math skills build over time, students need to be mastering the content at each grade level before moving forward.
I totally agree. Also, there is a distinct focus on progression in language arts and reading levels A, B, C, 1.2, 1.6, 2.4 (which there should be), but a much smaller amount of focus on building math skills - particularly using manipulatives and "hands-on" learning. (This depends of course on your teacher/school and whether the parents themselves place an emphasis on STEM.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ellar
There also is a problem attracting people who are good at math and science (and can teach well!) into the teaching profession. Most people can make a lot more money in other jobs in the fields that require skill in these areas.
I have a masters degree in ocean/environmental engineering and 10 yrs of industry experience. I thought I might like to teach middle/high school so I took some education certification classes at a community college and then decided to substitute teach (maybe that was my mistake). I love natural sciences and could have bluffed my way through a physics class, but Classroom Management is just not a skill I have. Basically, I see myself as technically competent, but "managing" a group of 14 yr olds??? It's just so much easier working with adults, or at least technical, well educated adults. I may try junior college - afterall, the kids are paying to attend so they'll naturally be more attentive/respectful??
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