[quote]
The effort to boost science skills comes one day after the federal government released findings showing that eighth-graders' science scores were nearly flat from 2009 to 2011.
The scores aren't the only bad news. Several international comparisons over the past decade have painted a bleak picture. In one, 15-year-olds ranked average among dozens of industrialized nations in science, above the Czech Republic and below Hungary.
"Science has been pushed into the background, especially in elementary school," said Gerry Wheeler, who heads the National Science Teachers Association, one of four groups developing the standards along with the National Research Council, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the school standards group Achieve.
The standards were written by science teachers, scientists, engineers, state policy staffers and business leaders. Twenty-six states have agreed to help develop them. Wheeler and others hope educators in all 50 states adopt the standards, then develop assessments that push teachers to take a more comprehensive approach to science.
"Schools are going to pay more attention to the things that get tested," said George DeBoer of Project 2061, a long-term effort by AAAS to improve science education.
Test results from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress, released today, show that eighth-graders' knowledge of basic science rose, but only slightly, from 2009 to 2011. The percentage of students rated "at or above proficient" also rose slightly, from 30% to 32%.
Wheeler said the results were "no cause for optimism."
A physicist and former instructor at Montana State University, Wheeler hopes the new standards, due in final form by the end of the year, get families talking about science and technology careers — much as his family did after the launch of the Soviet-era Sputnik satellite in 1957.
"My father was a milkman, and he said, 'You don't have to carry milk bottles around,' " Wheeler said.
The draft science standards are available online at nextgenscience.org. The NAEP results are available online at nationsreportcard.gov.[/quote]
[url]http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/story/2012-05-08/school-science-test-score/54873156/1[/url]
Oh come on, it can't be that bad
People go where the money is, show parents how their kids can make tons of money in science and those parents will push their kids in that direction. If you can't show people making tons of money in science then no one will want to do it.
Look at the HUGE numbers of high school kids playing football. Many, if not most, are motivated in part by seeing the possibility of earning a college scholarship for playing football, and somewhere down the road the hope of making it to the NFL(ie making lots of money playing football).
Show people a similar path for science, high school to college to professional work.
It has a lot to do with the whole Evolution vs. Creationism debate as well. Not sure how many people from across the pond are aware, but The Christian Far Right want's to get Science out of Science Class and put A Literalistic interpretation of the Book of Genesis in its place. Rather scary, to be honest.
[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;36724218]People go where the money is, show parents how their kids can make tons of money in science and those parents will push their kids in that direction. If you can't show people making tons of money in science then no one will want to do it.
Look at the HUGE numbers of high school kids playing football. Many, if not most, are motivated in part by seeing the possibility of earning a college scholarship for playing football, and somewhere down the road the hope of making it to the NFL(ie making lots of money playing football).
Show people a similar path for science, high school to college to professional work.[/QUOTE]
half of it is this, and half of it is that the united states is a highly physically&visually focused society.
"Why do I need to learn this, I will never use it later in life"
:suicide:
We need something to make science "cool" again. There's nothing going on to motivate the children to become scientists. All we have on TV these days is bullshit political opinion news, fake reality TV show's and whatever the fuck the Kardashians are doing. We need another moon landing, something that sparks children's interest. The Sports culture in US schools is what it is because you see it every day. There's multiple channels dedicated to sports news. Kid's dwell on that sort of thing.
Obligatory:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbIZU8cQWXc[/media]
We, simply put, are a culture where being popular is cool and being a nerd is seen as a negative thing.
[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;36725198]It has a lot to do with the whole Evolution vs. Creationism debate as well. Not sure how many people from across the pond are aware, but The Christian Far Right want's to get Science out of Science Class and put A Literalistic interpretation of the Book of Genesis in its place. Rather scary, to be honest.[/QUOTE]
where. seriously, where? is this a one, two school thing that you're thinking is the whole nation? because putting in a literal interpretation is unconstitutional, has been for 25 years now. Edwards v. Aguillard. if they're trying, they're failing.
the bullshit about intelligent design being taught in american schools over evolution is a crock of bullshit, [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_and_evolution_in_public_education_in_the_United_States]schools primarily teach evolutionary theory.[/url]
US Schools really need to work on this. The sad thing is, the main reason why most schools don't focus on the science is money.
In my junior year we had to take these assessment tests called the PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment). The tests were divided into english, math, writing, and science. They were all baseline tests that essentially affirm the schoolboard that our school is adequately teaching us. My school also got more money and funding for each student that passed the english and math exams, writing and sciences served quite literally no purpose as you can fail them with no consequences. So my school made sure we were taught english and math in order for them to obtain more funding by giving us double periods each year of both subjects, sciences came about 3rd and weren't stressed at all.
I consider myself to know a pretty good amount about general sciences, fairly well rounded for a teenager in fact, but when i took the exam for science (which is a baseline science exam that samples bio, chem, physics, and other general sciences) i was completely lost. I was embarrassed by how much i didn't know.
It's a shame that sciences aren't stressed more, they're so fascinating, i would have loved to take a chem 2 class. I'm glad i at least got to take a 2nd physics class even though i'm absolutely terrible at calculus and algebra and struggled. The concepts i understood though.
Better sort it out or the US will be a academic wasteland in 20 or so years.
[QUOTE=areolop;36725351]"Why do I need to learn this, I will never use it later in life"
:suicide:[/QUOTE]
and thats the problem we have
"why do we have to learn pythagoras's theorem? I'll never need it ever and besides we'll have calculators then".
just find a way to make it interesting again.
Fuck.
I hate my generation.
[QUOTE=papaya;36726980]
"why do we have to learn pythagoras's theorem? I'll never need it ever and besides we'll have calculators then".
[/QUOTE]
Most people won't need it, and why do it, when a computer or something else can do it for you.
By the time your 25 most people would have forgotten, and if they ever needed to know how to do it, just google it.
[QUOTE=papaya;36726980]"why do we have to learn pythagoras's theorem? I'll never need it ever and besides we'll have calculators then".[/QUOTE]
"because artillery, that's why".
[QUOTE=counterpo0;36727111]Most people won't need it, and why do it, when a computer or something else can do it for you.
By the time your 25 most people would have forgotten, and if they ever needed to know how to do it, just google it.[/QUOTE]
[quote]Sucking at math is like sucking at cooking. I'm tired of eating shitty food because you're too much of a dipshit to follow a recipe. Also, I'm tired of hearing people brag about how they can't cook like it's some kind of badge of honor. It's like a race to the bottom with you people. I always hear people one-upping each other about how inept they are at cooking. If you don't know how to chop up a few carrots to make a decent soup, take your life.
Math is exactly like cooking: just follow the recipe. Symbols look confusing? Can't figure out how to solve a problem? All I hear is, "Waaah! Boo-hoo! I didn't read the introduction to the chapter that tells me exactly how to solve this generic category of problems!"
Math isn't some voodoo that only smart people understand. It's something that people understand on their path to enlightenment, and it's about as straightforward as thinking gets. And when I say "math" here, I'm talking specifically about the only category of math that 99% of people know about: applied. It's a failure of teachers everywhere to expose people to the much less commonly known branch of mathematics: theoretical.
Theoretical math is cool as shit. You know what's not cool? You being an idiot. Math theory involves solving problems like finding patterns in prime numbers, topology and thinking about the different kinds of infinity. And yes, there are different kinds of infinities. Pick up a fucking book some time. Ever heard of Pascal's triangle? Or the Fibonacci sequence? How the square root of 2 was discovered? Do you know anything about the Pythagorean cult who discovered the "Pythagorean theorem"?
No, because you're too busy saying the same tired excuse every other dickhead spews out about math: "when will I ever use this in life?"
First of all, if you're leading your life in such a way that you never have to do math, congratulations, you are a donkey.
Why is math the only discipline that has to put up with this bullshit? People gladly learn art, music, literature and geography. You'll even nod like a happy idiot when you learn what a haiku is, and you never complain or whine about how you'll never use this in your "life." When is the last time you wrote a haiku, asshole?
But when it comes to math, everyone turns into a big pussy and starts PMSing all over the place. The walls, the flag, the teachers, everyone and everything gets splattered by your crimson twat water. Because suddenly you can predict the future and you know that for the next 70 or so years of your life, with 100% certainty, that you will never use math and that you can tune out and go back to doodling because you're too self-important to learn something that ancient people thought was important enough to pass down for your dumbass to learn from. It's far more important for you to practice writing your name or drawing hearts and stars, right?People didn't invent this stuff because they were bored. They invented it to solve real-world problems. Problems that real men had to deal with before your stupid ass was born, like building oil platforms, delivering the correct dosage of medicine and going to space. Not so your dumbass can play "Gardens of Time" on Facebook, although you wouldn't be able to do that without math, either.
All higher forms of thinking come from neural connections built by solving the kinds of problems encountered in math. Why should you learn math? Because fuck you, that's why. Learning math isn't about how much or how little you use it at your shitty job. It's about becoming someone who's worth a shit.
Don't like it? Tough. People also don't like to work, and if everyone took your shitty attitude towards math and applied it towards work, we'd all be living in shit huts in Africa. As for me, I like computers, the Internet, and riding in elevators. Don't think elevators are awesome? [b]Take the stairs next time, asshole.[/b] [/quote]
[url]http://thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=math[/url]
Well, my response is the same, if i ever need it, i will google it. I know i will use math in my lifetime and i know the importance of it with problem solving, im fine with my Pre Alg 1 and 2 that i did for highschool. Hell i don't even remember most of it, and its only been 1 year since i finished math.
Im not saying that math is useless, and that we should dump it, im saying that some people ( like me) have a harder time at math, and just say " fuck it, don't need it now, not gonna learn it"
It might bite me in the ass, or it might not.
[QUOTE=counterpo0;36727111]Most people won't need it, and why do it, when a computer or something else can do it for you.
By the time your 25 most people would have forgotten, and if they ever needed to know how to do it, just google it.[/QUOTE]
That is an incredibly closed minded, ignorant, and lazy mindset to have. I hope you grow out of it.
I also hope that you are part of a minority who share this mindset. Sadly, i think this is actually the majority.
My school keeps trying to get rid of my bio teacher who is retiring this year from his supervisor constantly trying to make him look bad. We took some assessment test that didn't matter that was made by a bunch of college kids though, half the test had things we never studied on and he said that it turned kids away from anything science related. In Engineering class all we really learned was different forms of energy and just made rockets and CO2 cars, kites, etc. (I wanted to learn more because all those seemed kind of dull during class, we never learned how they worked, just that they did.)
Meanwhile we keep spending all our budget money on sports.
I'm by no means a math genius. Hell, I've taken high school algebra twice, and college algebra three times because I failed to pass the classes. But it's still a wonderful thing to know and everyone should strive to be mathematically and scientifically literate. It doesn't mean they have to be human calculators.
[QUOTE=LtKyle2;36727719]we never learned how they worked, just that they did.[/QUOTE]
That's the job for the physics teacher. :v:
I'm really sad to hear stuff like this, because science is so cool, and is constantly moving. However I find that more kids are math dumb than science dumb. At my University, math 111 is the most failed class, and there is no reason for kids to even be taking that class. If kids gave a shit in high school, math would come so much easier to them. Not to mention this makes science (especially physics) and music come easier.
I'm a science major, and I graduated high school with enough math credits to never have to take a college math class. Call me an anomaly.
I'm sick of these fucking christians fighting against science in the US. They need to get a reality check, and reminded that this country isn't a damn "christian nation".
40 percent of Americans think the earth is under 10,000 years old and that we came from Adam and Eve..
[QUOTE=OvB;36727493]
[quote]No, because you're too busy saying the same tired excuse every other dickhead spews out about math: "when will I ever use this in life?"...
Why is math the only discipline that has to put up with this bullshit? People gladly learn art, music, literature and geography. You'll even nod like a happy idiot when you learn what a haiku is, and you never complain or whine about how you'll never use this in your "life." When is the last time you wrote a haiku, asshole?[/quote][/QUOTE]
I'm pretty sure I've heard plenty of people say "when will I ever use this in life" when referring to subjects other than math, especially literature. Almost every subject has a lot of people who say "when will I ever use this in life". It's not just math.
[QUOTE=TonyP;36727933]I'm sick of these fucking christians fighting against science in the US. They need to get a reality check, and reminded that this country isn't a damn "christian nation".
40 percent of Americans think the earth is under 10,000 years old and that we came from Adam and Eve..[/QUOTE]
What's most alarming about it that statistic has stayed within 3-4% of that number since 1982 [url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/155003/Hold-Creationist-View-Human-Origins.aspx]according to Gallup[/url]. It hasn't fluctuated a bit. Also, it's actually 46%.
[QUOTE=OvB;36725445]We, simply put, are a culture where being popular is cool and being a nerd is seen as a negative thing.[/QUOTE]
Not necessarily...
[IMG]http://chzemokid.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/emo-scene-hipster-nerds.jpg[/IMG]
We are a culture that values instant gratification and identity. People want to call themselves something with the least amount of effort, hence why hipsters dress themselves up as "nerds" so they can appear smart.
In this country, anything remotely challenging or requiring to better something that is beyond appearance or "status" makes people shy away. Sadly, the majority of youth in America aren't equipped to step up to the challenge due to a number of reasons, both upbringing and institutional.
[QUOTE=monkey11;36727917]I'm really sad to hear stuff like this, because science is so cool, and is constantly moving. However I find that more kids are math dumb than science dumb. At my University, math 111 is the most failed class, and there is no reason for kids to even be taking that class. If kids gave a shit in high school, math would come so much easier to them. Not to mention this makes science (especially physics) and music come easier.
I'm a science major, and I graduated high school with enough math credits to never have to take a college math class. Call me an anomaly.[/QUOTE]
I still have trouble with division :saddowns:
But, but artistic talent is the best way to get through life!
I know a girl who got an extra point on a Spanish quiz by drawing a pretty flower on it!
Now she got 1%, instead of 0%. A major improvement.
[sp]Sadly, this actually did happen[/sp]
[QUOTE=papaya;36726980]and thats the problem we have
"why do we have to learn pythagoras's theorem? I'll never need it ever and [U]besides we'll have calculators then[/U]".
just find a way to make it interesting again.
Fuck.
I hate my generation.[/QUOTE]
Oh god I hate that so much.
You will have a calculator, but you won't know what to but in you insufferable motherfucker you, they only do ARITHMETIC
[QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;36728277]Oh god I hate that so much.
You will have a calculator, but you won't know what to but in you insufferable motherfucker you, they only do ARITHMETIC[/QUOTE]
Calculators are only as smart as the person operating them. My college math course allowed graphing calculators for every test and quiz.
Nearly 2/3 of the class dropped by the end of the semester.
My Bio teacher said she didn't believe in macroevoltion but did believe in micro. Fuckimg stupid bullshit
[QUOTE=Meatpuppet;36728339]My Bio teacher said she didn't believe in macroevoltion but did believe in micro. Fuckimg stupid bullshit[/QUOTE]
Wow that's shitty. Even here in Texas I've never had a science teacher claim evolution was false.
No such thing as micro/macro evolution, both are the same thing.
[QUOTE=TonyP;36728421]No such thing as micro/macro evolution, both are the same thing.[/QUOTE]
That's always bugged me. How could you "believe" in microevolution but not macroevolution. Oh, so all whales have hip bones uselessly suspended in their bodies for no fucking reason then, eh?
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