Of Education

[varjohaltia]

As part of my graduate class this spring I've been reading The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman. While I think his books are boring and a bunch of hot air, he argues that there's a problem with American education, something I'm inclined to agree with. In particular his comments about motivation bother me.

Now, mind you, I'm not exactly a useful sample, and I look at these things from the skewed viewpoint of a hard science graduate. Even so;

"Nobody works harder at learning than a curious kid."

and

We simply are not educating, or even interesting, enough of our own young people in advanced math, science and engineering.

Now, as said, it may be because I came from a group of geeks, but the idea of sending rockets to space, diving in a submarine, or working on any number of neat technical project was quite interesting to us! We all had dreams of getting to work at CERN or NASA or ESA or such someday.

Most of the people I've met here have had immensely better chances to pursue those goals (I'm still not eligible to even apply for a janitor's job at NASA due to my immigration status), but few seem interested. Watching a shuttle launch is a chore. The most exciting ads for high-tech come from the Air Force and Navy. Science museums here have plastic dinosaurs instead of science experiments that actually teach science and interest in science.

Is this just an illusion I have, or is it indeed true that American culture has totally forgotten how cool science and technology is, and hence kids can't be bothered?

P.S. Another quote from said book: "In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears -- and that is our problem."

Comments

[dead-relena.livejournal.com]

I'm a research/info slut, so whenever I get even the slightest notion of an idea for a story that I might write, I go into all out research mode. So I agree wholeheartedly with the statement that curious kids work the hardest at learning ;)


Sadly, tho, I never was that great at math or science. Most of it went right over my head :/

[varjohaltia.livejournal.com]

This isn't just a US thing -- different people learn things differently, especially math. Topologists and number theorists have a totally different approach to math. Often in school teachers only teach one way of understanding a math or physics concept, leaving a section of kids scratching their heads. Mind you, there are also people who are really good at something else, like arts, or sports, or relationships, or language, or whatever, but I suspect a lot of the problem with math comes from teaching.
This is somewhat amplified in the US by lousy teachers. In Finland, to become a math, physics, chemistry, history, language or biology teacher, you must have not only a masters in your (or a related) field, but an additional educational curriculum. So a physics teachers must have a M.Sc. in physics PLUS an education minor. Consequently, they tend to not just teach from the book but have a much better understanding and love of their fields, and that shows. Well, that's the theory. Somewhat familiarly, teacher pay isn't enough to attract enough applicants, especially to rural schools.
But yes -- the one thing I always fear is loosing my curiosity. I <3 it and people who are also curious.

[dead-relena.livejournal.com]

I had a couple of really bad science teachers and I think that's what killed it for me. It's bad enough when you don't understand the subject to begin with, but when you get a bad teacher on top of that . . . yikes.

I've also had really good math teachers. In my time at Valencia, I had a math teacher who was awesome. He genuinely liked his subject and he taught it in a way that made sense. Wish I could remember his name . . .

The Truth?

[ozzyopolis.livejournal.com]

The United States' priorities are basically just in two main areas: Entertainment/Sports & Business.

That's it.

Science takes a back seat to all of that. An example: even in Chemistry here at USF, most of my Graduate Students (80 - 90%) are from CHINA, KOREA or INDIA...not the U.S.A.

So...

I am not surprised.

Re: The Truth?

[varjohaltia.livejournal.com]

That was the case in Physics ten years ago when I first got there. APS publications were full of concern about the fact that the physics PhD programs in good universities were 80-100% foreign born; there was and continues to be policy discussions over whether the US should try its best to recruit the best talent or create artificial barriers to protect US students, with a lament about the state of science education.

[koogrr.livejournal.com]

That would be why there's a brain-drain from all the other countries.

That would be why you and I are here.

[varjohaltia.livejournal.com]

The concern of Mr. Friedman was that after 9/11 the US has become more inhospitable, and most notably that the year(s) after that have given it such a reputation, even if visas aren't any harder to come by today than they were in 2000. At the same token, good universities and companies elsewhere have increased their attractiveness; going to Germany, Switzerland, the UK or even Australia isn't necessarily second choice anymore, as institutions there gain prestige, and multinationals have research centers just us good in those places.
In fact, he keeps drumming about the IBM and Microsoft research centers in China and India, and how they, within a few years of their establishing, have come to dominate the publishing and patent generation in their respective niches. These kinds of opportunities are causing people in the two giant countries, and elsewhere, to be really motivated to study and work towards a good career, as opposed to many Americans who want to party through school, get an MBA and make a six-figure salary.

[(Anonymous)]

Kids aren't interested because teachers aren't interested.
Teachers aren't interested because the states aren't interested.
The states aren't interested because the taxpayers aren't interested.

There's not enough money to pay teachers what they should be paid, to get good teachers, to hire and keep the ones that captures students' minds. You'll be hard pressed to find public educators that have the drive to make their kids think and make the learning process an enjoyable one.

-Vince

[varjohaltia.livejournal.com]

Actually, Friedman pointed out that it's even worse. American school districts are so independent that it leads to all sorts of patchworks and stupidity for lack of common standards. But more importantly, the money to pay for schools tends to come from the neighborhood. So poor neighborhoods get kids with problems and a bad home environment, the locals have to pay a very high proportion of their taxes for schools, and the schools end up with very little money.
Good neighborhoods pay a pittance towards schools, yet get all the good teachers and nifty toys and supportive extracurricular environment. He is very much advocating the (gasp! Communism!) logic that schools need to get the funds to provide a good education, period. It shouldn't be a local choice between lowering taxes so the parents can eat or rising taxes so their kids can be educated; all schools and teachers should be paid enough so that good teachers don't get siphoned away into suburban schools, and consequently all students can have a better chance to advance according to their ability, which in the end will be good for the country.

[dead-relena.livejournal.com]

I can vouch for the patchwork and lack of consistancy across state lines/school districts. Chris and I both repeated classes as we moved. I was told by one teacher, too, that they wouldn't cover a topic because we had all learned it at Discovery Middle School (not me! i was in Arizona and Virginia for middle school!)

[phyrra.livejournal.com]

I didn't enjoy science until my 2nd time through college. I didn't think I was good at it until then. It was only then that I was encouraged and able to flourish. I still have a deep love of biology because of the professors I had that allowed me to be good at biology and enjoy it, and want to learn more.

I think the problem is with the requirements that high schools have, and how kids are forced to learn, rather than nurtured and allowed to grow. That, and I think some teachers really suck.

[obsidiangryphon.livejournal.com]

People naturally spend more time looking up information on things that interest them, thus learning more and with less apparent effort than studying solely to pass a test.