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If the world was going to be destroyed by a huge asteroid, who would you like to plan the answer?
In the movie Armageddon, the chief scientific adviser of the US president suggests launching a barrage of nuclear weapons to rock The size of Texas is supposed to end life on Earth.
But the scientific mind of NASA says that it just will not work, adding that he went to school with the President's advisor
. you really do not want to take the advice of a man who got a C-minus in astrophysics, "he says in an arched tone
Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and the very smart scholar continue to save the planet. [19659002] Simon Birmingham, the federal Minister of Education, may not be a movie star or an astrophysicist, but he has set an important goal: to raise the standard of Teaching science and mathematics in schools and, by extension, our children.
He wants every high school to have at least one teacher trained in science and mathematics.
Not only did they pass on their knowledge directly to schoolchildren, but they acted as mentors for other teachers
. To achieve this, Birmingham has effectively threatened universities to require prospective students to complete their mathematics and science courses
. It is based on a lot of research in two areas. The first is the decline in the results of Australian students, particularly in the fields of science and mathematics, in standardized international tests.
The second is that our economy is evolving under our feet with a growing demand for scientists and maths. From an economic point of view, Australia simply fails to provide enough staff to meet this demand.
Alan Finkel, Chief Scientist of Australia, has been dealing with this issue for some time
. It refers to a study conducted in 2009 by the University of Western Sydney on the performance of first-year students in mathematics.
Of the students who have successfully studied at the university in HSC mathematics, 100% have passed their first year of study. Of the students who studied basic mathematics, 77% failed in their studies.
Even if you're not good with the numbers, the difference between 100% success for more difficult maths and 77% failures among those who have taken the path "easier," he is amazing.
Dr. Finkel has presented a very compelling argument in favor of teaching content to both stimulating and specific children. He said that the pressure for good "generalists" and people with great collaborative skills will not be superimposed in a future world demanding high-level skills in specialized fields.
"In all my meetings with people actually hiring graduates I never said to myself," Damn, we do not have enough people who know how to collaborate, "he says.
"No, they tell me," We do not have enough engineering software specialists. We can not find graduates who speak maths fluently. "
" We have meetings where three-quarters of the people in the room can not criticize a series of numbers without taking out a calculator and slowing us down. "19659002] Research on NSW, mandated to find out what preschoolers of today will need to have a future of employment in the 21st century, found similar issues
While general qualifications or "sound study provisions" such as concentration, resilience and curiosity are
A participant in the report noted: "What is it useful to learn from? to collaborate if you have nothing special to contribute? "
And to have good content, you need to have specialized teachers who know their subject.
Teaching, however, is a great skill. There are many brilliant people who do not know how to engage with children, can not pass on their knowledge or do not have the patience to take care of a room filled with children. 39 children whose attention can be measured in minutes rather than t that in
Which brings us to other recent research, this time from the OECD which has looked at the career choices of 15 year olds . For scientists and mathematicians (and journalists), it was not a good read.
In the developed world, nearly 10% of children aspire to be doctors. Lawyers, police officers, nurses, architects are also among the most popular career plans
And roughly the same proportion of kids who want to become veterans want to become sports stars.
About a third of students want themselves in only 10 jobs with not a single physicist, biologist, computer programmer or mathematician (or journalist) among the list. Another problem highlighted by research is that the socio-economic status and education of a parent is an important factor when a child is thinking about his professional future.
Nearly 80% of Australian students in "affluent" homes want to go However, less than 40 percent of children in "poor" homes do so, suggesting that science and math teachers need to go further in our high schools by demanding studies at the university. Decisions and career paths are set much earlier.
Career Counselors may need to upgrade their skills to identify students who may be suitable for STEM subjects. This applies to the fields of academic and vocational education
The OECD report suggests starting around the 13-year mark.
It is quite difficult to get a 13-year-old child out of bed to take the bus on time. Getting them to focus on a prospective job would be tantamount to stopping the asteroid of Bruce Willis with a slingshot
and we did not even come back to long-term problems like teacher training once it's over. they are in our schools.
Science, mathematics and just about every other area of study change over time – even in English. If you left school after studying Shakespeare and did not use it – by reading Tim Winton or James Joyce or Donald Trump's Twitter feed – you are selling short.
We expect doctors and nurses, for example, to date with the latest changes in medicine.
This would apply to our specialized teachers. It means true continuing education and professional development, not just a day nailed at the end of the school year.
Birmingham and the government have taken important steps. They have identified a real problem and propose plans. But there are still a lot of questions, from teacher qualifications to the duration of a school day.
There is always another asteroid.
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