Meaningful Lessons: Scientific Wisdom vs. Scientific Facts

TL;DR:

There is a need for more relevant science education in the 21st century.
This post emphasizes the importance of teaching wisdom and context alongside facts.
Teachers should engage students by making lessons meaningful and applicable.

Ok, let’s hit the reset button on my podcast, Science360, for a moment. Let’s talk about why I bring the type of episodes that I bring. Why a discussion about seaweed, like in episode 83? What value do I see in this sort of thing for teachers?

Let me explain…

For decades, we have been using a science curriculum that has gone largely unchanged. We teach the periodic table and the trends among the elements. Mitosis and meiosis. The cell and its organelles. We teach forces and calculate situations under the heading of kinematics. We teach classes on chemical reactions and how mRNA is used in producing proteins. And the list could go on.

But to me, these questions of “when are we ever going to use this” or “why does this matter” have grown to mean a great deal. I’ve put myself more and more into the shoes of today’s students and have attempted to think like they do. And I’ve come to the conclusion that if I were one of them, I’d likely ask the same questions. And I’d want answers!

So what is today’s student?

I believe that the people we teach, here mid-way through the third decade of the 21st century, have become a much more discerning audience. They are far better at recognizing value and at knowing what they will allow to compete for their time. They know how to evaluate content and what deserves a “like” or a re-post. And I believe that what we have traditionally called education, the content and topics that I’ve seen taught for 30 years (which are the same content and topics that I was taught in the 80s), is not in and of itself worthy of a “like.” Today’s student needs to see it in context, a reason for being, a purpose that deserves their divided attention, a portion of their mental distraction.

This is why my discussion in episode 82 with Dr. Tim Dasey meant so much to me.

Students today need wisdom more so than they need facts. Facts are easy to come by. They are searchable. But knowing what facts to search for and how to search for them and where they can apply those facts is far more important. So this lens is what I teach through. And this lens is why I bring these episodes because it’s through this lens that we ultimately will reach today’s students with the value, purpose, and meaning that they are looking for in life.

It is far past the time that we deliver facts about the life cycle of cells or the placement of electrons in orbitals. We are living and teaching in a time of meaning and relevance, some of which will require some facts for sure, but facts with a purpose for knowing, not just facts to be known for the unit test. That sort of education just will not fly in this era. That kind of education in my opinion is malpractice. And just as every aspect of society is evolving, education must evolve to meet the needs of today’s students.

This is why I bring the episodes that I bring.

With this in mind, listen to episode 83 with Scott Bohachyk explaining the scientific method in a practical setting, saving the kelp forests that have been ravaged by the sea urchin which lost its only predator. He is experimenting with replanting sporophytes based on knowledge of fragmentation while taking into consideration genetic diversity.

A student might ask: “Oh Mr. Stephenson, what’s the scientific method, what’s a sporophyte, what’s fragmentation, what’s genetics?” Rather than these facts BEING the lesson, they become the by-product of understanding, the application, and the wisdom of working within an interdependent ecosystem. Rather than teaching the scientific method in a series of lessons, listen to Scott show it in action in a meaningful and relevant way, from hypothesis to design to execution to data and repeat. Asking questions all along the way.

And when it’s done, don’t end with a test and call it a day. Offer the students actual ways that they can get involved in saving these culturally and ecologically sensitive areas of the ocean. Follow up with a practical way to apply the knowledge and wisdom by getting into the community, joining a group, writing a letter, and searching organizations that are doing the work.

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You see, this episode, and indeed all of my episodes, are there to encourage you, the teacher, to take what you do and draw your students into wanting to learn, instead of learning to meet the requirements of the test.

Want to…not have to. The difference is enormous.

The result is students who thrive, who ask if they can look into this more deeply. I’ve seen it happen in my own classroom. The other result is you—the teacher—are excited to bring more content like this because you begin to pick up on the excitement of learning you are witness to among your students.

This is why Science360 exists, why I am still excited to teach going into my 31st year, and why I want YOU to experiment with this type of teaching. You deserve it just as your students deserve it. Explore the titles of my podcast. See where you can take the wisdom of my guests into your classroom. Allow these conversations to cause your teaching practice to evolve and serve the needs of your modern students.

So now, let’s get onto the episode!

About Tim Stephenson

Tim has been teaching in Langley, British Columbia for over 25 years. He’s a science teacher, particularly astronomy, which is a course he has developed into a full credit senior science course. In his school, he is known as AstroStephenson. Way back at the beginning of his teaching career, he wrote a book, really to himself, that contained his teaching philosophy. It was a project that would define his career. He is a possibility thinker, a dreamer and a doer, an innovator.

From the very beginning, he knew that he wanted to teach by putting students and relationships ahead of content, and putting experiences and emotions ahead of curriculum. The result has been a long career of rich and rewarding experiences for both himself and his students, the pinnacle being in 2018 when he was the recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence.

Now Tim would like to share with you his thoughts and experiences on teaching with the hope that by reflecting better, you will feel empowered to try new things, teach in new ways and see the possibilities that are there for all of us in the teaching profession.