Bringing Science to Life
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Children are natural born scientists, with an insatiable curiosity and desire to experiment \\u2013 but studies have demonstrated that somehow, through years of formal education, most teenagers lose their enthusiasm for science. By the time they are applying to college, less than a quarter say they remain very interested in science, which they consider \\u201ccomplicated\\u201d and \\u201cdifficult\\u201d rather than \\u201cfun\\u201d or \\u201cinspiring.\\u201d (See the findings of the CFI\\u2019s \\u201cCanadian Youth Science Monitor\\u201d at https://www.innovation.ca/sites/default/files/news_items/Jun-7-2010-ipsos.pdf).
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This week, Ken chats with Bonnie Schmidt, founder and president of Let\\u2019s Talk Science, about the importance of keeping young people engaged in STEM fields, and some recommendations for science teaching at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. \\xa0She emphasizes that \\u201cwhat\\u2019s happening at K-12 is actually THE most important economic driver for this country.\\u201d
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Since 1991, Let\\u2019s Talk Science has mobilized more than 26,000 college and university students to bring experiential, hands-on STEM activities to some 5 million elementary and secondary school students. \\xa0LTS provides web tools, governance, resources, guidance and support for the student teams at no charge. \\u201cWe love bringing science to life!\\u201d \\xa0(For more information, check out http://letstalkscience.ca)
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LTS has been leading Canada2067, an ambitious initiative examining international trends in STEM education, and mapping future directions for the next 50 years.\\xa0 (Check out their resources at https://canada2067.ca) Canada2067 brought together Grade 9/10 students, millennials, parents, teachers, industry and non-profit organization leaders, and policy makers across the country, and there was considerable agreement on some general principles, including:
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RELEVANT:\\xa0To keep students of any age engaged with course content, it has to be clearly relevant to their daily lives. \\xa0
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EXPERIENTIAL:\\xa0 Hands-on, group activities have been a key component of the Let\\u2019s Talk Science program for decades. \\xa0(We explored the importance of experiential learning in this episode: https://youtu.be/DU1gRLZeEIo).
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INTERDISCIPLINARY:\\xa0 Bonnie emphasizes that the best way to create relevance for students is to move towards \\u201can interdisciplinary, issues-based\\u201d approach to teaching, addressing big global challenges from multiple perspectives. In Saskatchewan, for example, there are some interesting experiments in multidisciplinary senior-level science courses. But colleges and universities will need to accept those interdisciplinary credits, and higher ed instructors need to revisit the tradition of \\u201cteaching how we were taught.\\u201d
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TEACHER PD: \\u201cWe\\u2019re not investing enough in our teachers,\\u201d Bonnie laments, at any level of education. Teachers need resources, training, and time to develop lessons and share best practices.
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PARENTS: \\u201cParents are the #1 influencer of the students taking optional credits at high school,\\u201d and it\\u2019s crucial that parents urge their children to persist in STEM subjects even when they are challenging, to keep higher ed doors open. \\xa0Parents also need to keep an open mind about non-traditional teaching approaches, such as experiential or inquiry-based learning.
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\\u201cThe world is undergoing such transformation right now,\\u201d Bonnie says, that we need to reconsider how we teach STEM in primary, secondary, and tertiary classrooms. Memorization is a far less important part of learning. We need accelerated ways to upskill and reskill displaced workers, and more pathways between universities and colleges. \\xa0\\u201cWe\\u2019re all recognizing that change is needed,\\u201d Bonnie says. \\u201cI have never actually seen the stars align with a desire to change in education at all levels that I\\u2019ve seen in Canada over the last 5 years.\\u201d
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Bonnie Schmidt holds a PhD in Physiology from Western University, was identified as one of Canada\\u2019s Top 40 Under 40, is a member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She has chaired numerous national science education committees and task forces, and served on the board of governors of Ontario Tech University and the board of directors of the Ontario Genomics Institute.
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Special thanks to Let\\u2019s Talk Science, who hosted Ken as keynote at the Digital Literacy Summit in Toronto in late January 2018, and provided the videographers for this interview.
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Next time, 10K travels to Mount Royal University in Calgary, to check out the latest in makerspaces and immersive VR at the Riddell Library and Learning Centre. To be sure you don\\u2019t miss it, take a moment to subscribe at http://eduvation.ca/subscribe/\\xa0
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And if you would like to host 10K at your campus, more information is available at http://eduvation.ca/twk/site-visits/
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