Kids + Science = NOTHING

[herpguy]

Okay, is there anything we can do to get more kids interested in science? It's going to be a huge problem in the future if no kids want to go into science. I'm starting to see that most of my friends that used to be love it are no longer interested, and me trying to help them get back into it isn't working. In fact, I only know of 7 out of the 220 or so kids in my sixth grade class like science, and the number is dropping. So what can we, the people, do?

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Find more science that blows up.

[Nevermore]

Tell them we have to beat the reds to the bomb.

[aj47]

I agree practicals are the only things that will get younger children interested in science. Teachers should stop being so safety obsessed and let children have a real hands on experience with science. More disections and explosions would be good (though not at the same time)

[Phi for All]

Transfer the bikini teacher from social studies to biology.

[Psycho]

Kids arn't interested in anything useful in 6th grade..........

[padren]

One of the things I like about science fiction is it captures the imagination in a creative way that applies to logical thought. The effects of advance science and technology, discoveries of hypothetical mechanics that let your imagination run with the implications of the various ways it can be adapted and used.

 

While it often gives poor expectations of what science really is, it also is sensational enough to spark an interest and reveal its potential.

 

As corny as the show was, a lot of people were very affected by the classic StarTrek. It was a vision not just of a technological world, but a society free of our modern day grime, so I think it also really inspired the idea that science can give us the breathing room to expand how we live as a society. It gave a sense of hope for the future.

 

 

I also quite like dark science fiction, but I don't know if it has the same effects.

 

 

All in all, I think more science fiction should be explored at an early age and give young kids a chance to explore the cognative leaps in how adding technolgy "A" would effect other aspects of the world. So much of school is about learning where we were, and where we are, but doesn't really look very far into where we could go.

[herpguy]

I think the problem is also peer pressure. Most kids only do what other people think is cool. Apparently, someone who's "everyone" doesn't like science.

 

Maybe we should look at other small things instead of the direct problem.

[Heretic]

Tell them we have to beat the reds to the bomb.

 

Hilarious.

 

No seriously there's no shortage of interest in my generation (The 80's). I think you're getting nervous over nothing. There aren't enough post-secondary schools here (Canada) to teach all the people who WANT to learn science.

 

Maybe Canada is different though? I can't see how...

 

If you want someone to become interested in science, simply ask them questions about there interests. Even explaining the science of sports, cars, whatever. You'll find once people realize the answers to all their questions lie in science they'll come to appreciate it all the more.

[GutZ]

Transfer the bikini teacher[/url'] from social studies to biology.

 

Forget that put her in my class.

 

 

 

Personally I don't think you can promote science anymore then we have been trying. Would you want to? I am glad that mostly intellectual type are heading our nuclear facilities, bombs, quantum energy, space travel, etc.

 

If science were popularized...You'd have people like me joining up.YOU do NOT want that.

 

"Hey! whats this red button do?"

 

*CNN cut scene*

 

"This just in, a Canadian physicist has just launched 30 prototype hydrogen bombs towards the greater North American cities"

[silkworm]

Transfer the bikini teacher[/url'] from social studies to biology.

 

Although this may appear silly, I do agree with you PfA. Kid's need to know the truth - scientists get laid.

 

There's a problem with the overall values of this nation. Science is constantly demonized and misrepresented in the media. It's constantly showed in films and TV that knowing things isn't cool. And I just saw a story on the national news about some obscure special effects guy dying, when's the last time you saw a story about a nobel laureatte dying (and one died a few days ago, did you see anything about that)? It's simply in the conditioning.

[GutZ]

Science isn't cool though. It never will be...

 

There are alot of average intelligent based people, there are few above average intelligence, and a very few geniuses.

 

People tend to what they are comfortable with.

 

Lets not fool ourselves either. There is a reason why people who visit this place do so. There are things in common.

[ecoli]

My mother is a science educator. She brings insects and other animals into elementery school classrooms, and the kids love it. They all want to scientists when they are shown that science can be fun.

[herpguy]

My mother is a science educator. She brings insects and other animals into elementery school classrooms, and the kids love it. They all want to scientists when they are shown that science can be fun.

But when kids get to middle and high school, they are dependant more on eachother. So they decide science isn't cool.

 

For example, a zoologist brought animals from South America to school so we could see them. Pretty much the same thing happened in elementary school. The difference is that only about 5% of the kids actually enjoyed it. After that, peer pressure would go into affect and now far less than five percent thought it was cool.

[ecoli]

But when kids get to middle and high school' date=' they are dependant more on eachother. So they decide science isn't cool.

 

For example, a zoologist brought animals from South America to school so we could see them. Pretty much the same thing happened in elementary school. The difference is that only about 5% of the kids actually enjoyed it. After that, peer pressure would go into affect and now far less than five percent thought it was cool.[/quote']

 

which is a shame, because at that age, you can do some pretty cool experiments.

[deltanova]

a trip to Questacon!

 

possibly my favorite place during my childhood. seven storys of stimulating, intereactive, scientific displays, a rollercoaster simulator, animatronic dinosaurs, huge tesla coil, an 11 metre shee drop slide and my favorite, a guilotine that lets u feel what its like to get you head cut off, its amazing everything that u learn from going, and every time i go to canberra i usually visit it. The Planetarium, YAY thats another good place, mindblowing!

[scicop]

The entertainment world, until recently, hasn't really embraced science. There is science fiction, but not much real science. Shows like CSI, have brought science to the public with great amounts of accuracy in science description. As a result, applications and enrollment in forensic science programs have increased. Showing that science can be a career that can bring forth personal satisfaction and societal benefits like law, medicine, law enforcement, can be just as impacting as making science fun.

 

HOWEVER. There is a BIG problem with science. The pursuit of science is generally not a lucrative endeavor, which is really well known with the general public. Salaries are low. Jobs are highly unstable compared to others, and the risks associated with career advancement are many. Given that the career path has so many risks associated with it, it is not one that students really opt to follow. Perhaps this is not really relevant to the 6th grade mind, but to the say 11th grader, or even early-career college students will learn really quickly of the caveats that plague advancement in science.

 

With so many other options that are more stable, more financially rewarding, and lower risks for advancement is it a wonder why science is not pursued by many americans? I can go into a thousand more reasons why science is not attractive to the US youth, but those can be discussed at another time.

[Cloud]

HOWEVER. There is a BIG problem with science. The pursuit of science is generally not a lucrative endeavor' date=' which is really well known with the general public. Salaries are low. Jobs are highly unstable compared to others, and the risks associated with career advancement are many.[/quote']

 

That is one of, if not the biggest, factors. Scienctific jobs aren't really promoted well at school on career days etc.

 

Factor in the fact that most science graduates earn less than most economic and business graduates.

 

All the people that are further studying science after high school that I know are going to become doctors. This is the only profession that is associated with science in most of middle and high school kids minds. That and rocket science (which has been stereotyped as being incredibly hard (basicallu unachievable) which it isn't if you;re good at maths- its basically aeronautical science/astrophysics:rolleyes: ).

 

Any lab work, white coat science is considered boring.

[the tree]

a trip to Questacon!

Every young child in the world should see the kid's bit in the National Science Museum in London. It has all the coolest toys.

[GradGrrl]

Find more science that blows up.

 

Sheesh, even adults can appreciate an explosion! Who hasn't wanted to throw that soduim into a bucket of water?

[abskebabs]

That is one of' date=' if not the biggest, factors. Scienctific jobs aren't really promoted well at school on career days etc.

 

Factor in the fact that most science graduates earn less than most economic and business graduates.

 

All the people that are further studying science after high school that I know are going to become doctors. This is the only profession that is associated with science in most of middle and high school kids minds. That and rocket science (which has been stereotyped as being incredibly hard (basicallu unachievable) which it isn't if you;re good at maths- its basically aeronautical science/astrophysics:rolleyes: ).

 

Any lab work, white coat science is considered [i']boring[/i].

I agree with you but I think you als have a few misconceptions and things that you may have missed out. For example, my physics teacher recently told me there were more physicists in the city(meaning financial part of city) than business graduates. A lot of science degrees have transferrable skills that are highly valuable in other careers. The same goes with engineering, which can incorporate a lot of science itself(mostly maths and physics, but chemistry and a little biology too in chemical engineering).

 

Personally, when I was young I was never interested specifically in "science" but in how the world and things worked. It helped that when I was young I had a lot of encyclopedias and books round me that I avidly read. I came up with wacky ideas and inventions, but being the impractical type never made any. I recognise the practical part of science gets a lot of ppl interested, but that was and still is the part I dislike the most:-p ! Things like science fiction helped too, even video games like command and conquer red alert!

 

Perhaps leaving kids left in a room with nothing but books and encyclopedias for a certain portion of the day, without tv and things like that might help. After all boredom is often the mother of invention and creatvity. A lot of kids seem to get frced into too many clubs and things by nagging parents nowadays that they lack this vital(in my opinion:D ) bored time. Things like the discovery channel could help, however I do admit there is a lot of rubbish on it, but that's just my opinion. Space always seems to interest ppl in physics for example, but for a while now I have found it one of the most mundane parts of physics. I'm sure most ppl would disagree.

 

I think the public perception of scientists or ppl with science degrees has to change, as a very large proportion don't need to wear labcoats in their jobs;) . I think that the wages of scientists and science lecturers is too low, and does not match the amount of work and time that ppl have invested in these careers.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Sheesh, even adults can appreciate an explosion! Who hasn't wanted to throw that soduim into a bucket of water?

Exactly what I meant. If science is made exciting (meaning "combustible") then more students will like it.

[Phi for All]

HOWEVER. There is a BIG problem with science. The pursuit of science is generally not a lucrative endeavor, which is really well known with the general public. Salaries are low. Jobs are highly unstable compared to others, and the risks associated with career advancement are many. Given that the career path has so many risks associated with it, it is not one that students really opt to follow. Perhaps this is not really relevant to the 6th grade mind, but to the say 11th grader, or even early-career college students will learn really quickly of the caveats that plague advancement in science.

Associated with this is the fact that kids from elementary to high school often have a skewed view of the world because of the entertainment industry. Mega-million dollar earnings from making movies or playing sports is *very* attractive to teenagers. Why work when you can play? The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Danko should be mandatory reading in high school. This book shows that the vast majority of millionaires don't buy yachts and a thousand pairs of shoes. It's hard for science and any profession where you have to work hard to achieve success to compete with the way the entertainment industry seems to pump out the superstars with the lavish lifestyles who don't *appear* to the kids to have to do much more than play games and sign autographs.

[ecoli]

Exactly what I meant. If science is made exciting (meaning "combustible") then more students will like it.

 

One of the most memoriable experiances from 7th grade science club was my teacher blowing up a hydrogen-filled balloon in the middle of the classroom. That was amazing.

[Phi for All]

Perhaps leaving kids left in a room with nothing but books and encyclopedias for a certain portion of the day, without tv and things like that might help. After all boredom is often the mother of invention and creatvity. A lot of kids seem to get frced into too many clubs and things by nagging parents nowadays that they lack this vital(in my opinion:D ) bored time. Things like the discovery channel could help, however I do admit there is a lot of rubbish on it, but that's just my opinion. Space always seems to interest ppl in physics for example, but for a while now I have found it one of the most mundane parts of physics. I'm sure most ppl would disagree.

In addition to the room full of books, I'd love to see a school class where small groups got put into a room full of random junk (including tape, glue and other fasteners) and told to make a Rube Goldberg device that started in one corner of the room and eventually had to knock over a book on a shelf on the other side of the room. Building such a device would be one of the greatest practical physics learning experiences imaginable. It would also be relatively cheap, too.