[posted to chemed-l and phys-l ... apologies to those who receive two copies]
A couple of weeks ago I was visiting UC Davis. Among other things,
I was invited to meet with Wendell Potter's "Science Education"
discussion group. The discussion opened with the question, if
you could change one thing about the way science is taught, what
would it be?
My answer was that we should rededicate ourselves to the idea
that _thinking_ is primary and fundamental. Thinking skills
can be taught ... but there is considerable room for improvement
in the way schools teach thinking. There is far too much that
goes on in the school that rewards rote regurgitation and/or
penalizes actual thinking.
A fraction of the problem -- but only a fraction -- can be blamed
on the ECLBE law (Every Child Left Behind Equally).