科学教育外文文献 Why Not Try a Scientific Approach to Science Education.pdfVIP

WHY NOT TRY a Scientific Approach to Science Education? By Carl Wieman he purpose of science education is no longer simply In short, we now need to make science education effective to train that tiny fraction of the population who will and relevant for a large and necessarily more diverse fraction of become the next generation of scientists. We need the population. a more scientifically literate populace to address What do I mean by an effective education in science? I be- the global challenges that humanity now faces and lieve a successful science education transforms how students Tthat only science can explain and possibly mitigate, think, so that they can understand and use science like scientists such as global warming, as well as to make wise decisions, do. (See Figure 1). But is this kind of transformation really pos- informed by scientific understanding, about issues such as sible for a large fraction of the total population? genetic modification. Moreover, the modern economy is largely based on science and technology, and for that economy to thrive and for individuals within it to be successful, we need Figure 1. Transporting student thinking from technically literate citizens with complex problem-solving novice to expert. skills. Carl Wieman, recipient of the Nobel Prize in physics in 2001 and the Carnegie Foundation’s U.S. University Professor of the Year Award in 2004, currently directs the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative at the University of British Columbia and the Colorado Science Edu- cation Initiative. Prior to joining UBC, he served on the faculty at the University of Colorado from 1984 to 2006 as a