In a continuation of the Educate to Innovate campaign, President Obama spent last Wednesday honoring educators in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Attendees included Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, the Mythbusters, and (my favorite part of this story) participants of last year's FIRST Robotics competition. As a member of Aragon's FIRST Robotics Team myself, I found it highly encouraging that programs such as FIRST are having enough of an impact to be acknowledged and praised by the President.
Programs such as FIRST have become increasingly important in the face of American students' performance in the fields of math and science for the past couple decades (currently placing 25th in math and 21st in science on a worldwide scale). As Obama put it, "This isn't news. We've seen worrying statistics like this for years".
If you have the time, feel free to watch the 18 minute video linked to in the title.
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10 comments:
We are 25th in math and 21st in science!?! Really? Who is beating us?
Countries with a less active anti-science interest groups.
Woah!!!! Jebsen, you wrote this post at 5:04 AM! That's intense! Also, good point Sam.
Who is beating us?
*I'm not sure, but I do know that some of these comparisons over the years have been invalid because we test all students and other countries only test those students that have been tracked towards academics. In any case, our elite students do fine compared to other nations. The academic performance of our average to below-average students does seem to lag some other industrialized countries, unfortunately.
Frankly, I'm rather sick of the obsession with Math and Science education over all other disciplines, because underneath the emphasis is the idea that education is to develop job skills. That's an obviously important function of schooling, but not the only one, and I think it is wise for public schools and their advocates to continue to articulating the rationale for education beyond training students so employers don't have to. Some knowledge helps make better people or better citizens and not so much better workers. It is sad that every defense of music education, for example, includes the factually accurate correlation between music and math. It is a shame that learning how to read music and play an instrument can't be seen as worthwhile because music is good for the soul.
I'm not entirely certain that the focus on mathematics and science is there for the sake of job training, though from a memetic perspective this does make sense. A meme such as this, which creates more productive workers, will tend to continue. But the issue, I think, is larger than job training. Math and Science teach what the humanities cannot, truth. Math is absolute truth, and science gets very close to it (but it is still only a very excellent approximation).
To some extent, the emphasis on science may be a redress of grievances, because the science education of the US was abysmal (at least in biology) until 1968, and since then the extremely well funded creationist and intelligent design lobbies have attacked it repeatedly, so perhaps the emphasis on scientific fact is somewhat defensive.
While emphasis on truth seems appropriate, I think that other classes could provide an equally important function. I'll make no secret of the fact that I think we should all be taught Utilitarianism from a young age (yes it is indoctrination), for I feel that this would provide a great benefit to mankind in general.
Franklin, you might remember this video. It has a lot to do with this topic. And I agree with it. The strict schedules and classes we take was to prepare people for the industrial age. That was one of the reasons why public schools were built.
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
"I'm not sure, but I do know that some of these comparisons over the years have been invalid because we test all students and other countries only test those students that have been tracked towards academics. In any case, our elite students do fine compared to other nations. The academic performance of our average to below-average students does seem to lag some other industrialized countries, unfortunately.
Frankly, I'm rather sick of the obsession with Math and Science education over all other disciplines, because underneath the emphasis is the idea that education is to develop job skills. That's an obviously important function of schooling, but not the only one, and I think it is wise for public schools and their advocates to continue to articulating the rationale for education beyond training students so employers don't have to. Some knowledge helps make better people or better citizens and not so much better workers. It is sad that every defense of music education, for example, includes the factually accurate correlation between music and math. It is a shame that learning how to read music and play an instrument can't be seen as worthwhile because music is good for the soul."
To Mr. Silton, I have to agree with you on this. Not just because you're the teacher or because I'm a suck-up but because this is the truth. Math and Science are essential academics to value and practice. However, why aren't other academics being acknowledged as well? Certainly, Math and Science are leading the world technologically but that doesn't mean other academics can't be recognized. I found this speech to be random, but maybe that's just me. Many of America's engineers come from India and China anyway.
Also, I play music as well, and as far as the music and math correlation goes, it's WAY overhyped. Sure, music and math have FEW similarities, but honestly, music is it's OWN elective and study. If you blur the lines too much, you can safely say Language Arts and Math are similar in nature as well.
When speaking with regards to the functions of education, I absolutely agree. Developing job skills is VERY important but it is NOT the ultimate priority. Simple and reasonably sensible.
Sam,
my comment is grounded in having heard umpteen political arguments about school reform over many years that are marked as urgent by citing fears of declining American economic competitiveness in a globalized labor market.
These arguments are basically correct. The US has the best university system in the world, by far, but our K12 system is not up to par. I make these same arguments on a regular basis. We can continue to attract immigrant talent as well, but there is no excuse for not providing an excellent education to all US citizens that have to compete with people worldwide.
Where I get fussy is when Math and Science are singled out for special attention on this same basis, which they often are. And to be fair, attracting and keeping good science teachers is much harder than history or English teachers. It is just when the rationale for education (in any subject) becomes excessively economic, I get turned off.
Indoctrinating utilitarian thinking would have to involve indoctrinating people to the norm that utility can be measured. And one of the great and only pieces of wisdom I can teach you is that some things really can't be properly measured in any objective reality, as the criterion shift with the whim of emotionally driven human beings.
In other words, you have to pick between freewill and utilitarianism, at least at the extreme margins, unless you believe science can actually develop something like Issac Azimov's fictional "psychohistory." Behavioral economics is a step in the right direction, but ultimately people can't price out unknown alternatives, they just can't, and that imposes functional limits on your philosophy.
Anyway, trust me when I tell you that science and math education are very often promoted as more important on the basis of job skill development, not because science is a noble pursuit of truth.
I don't know, I guess the idea of other nations producing great science doesn't upset me. We've had a nice run, but we aren't actually naturally better people. The rest of the world is doing better, and that's a good thing.
FIRST is a great program, and I'd like to see far more investment in education in general, but I question the worrying statistics. Who is fretting about these math tests? And what is more worrying, a populace that can't see through basic propaganda and is increasingly contemptuous of one another, or one that is still developing a disproportionate share of new technologies?
@Silton
"Anyway, trust me when I tell you that science and math education are very often promoted as more important on the basis of job skill development, not because science is a noble pursuit of truth."
I agree, math and science are important because of the vast amount of related fields in industries today and the fact that it is much easier for students to be introduced to the professional world through these subjects compared others. The rankings, if based on averages, are not as worrying as they sound.
"I don't know, I guess the idea of other nations producing great science doesn't upset me. We've had a nice run, but we aren't actually naturally better people. The rest of the world is doing better, and that's a good thing."
Your point reminded me of a quote (off the top of my head): "Nationalism is the conviction that you are better than someone just because you were born somewhere."
Mr. Silton,
You're right on all counts regarding my "indoctrinating with Utilitarianism" idea. Perhaps what would be better would be an ethics class where students are taught multiple ethical theories and debate each other on the merits of each one. This, at least, would create a morally conscious society without indoctrination and with some form of rational thinking.
Happyface.
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