Mystery of Science

Almost every student will have heard of the character of Indiana Jones. This swashbuckling adventurer is fiction but in real life there is an Indiana Jones of science, his name is Stephen Hawking.  Unfortunately most students have never heard of him.   He wrote a popular science bestseller, “A Brief History of Time” in it he takes the reader along on one of the greatest adventure stories ever, the creation of the universe.  His book compels the reader to ask questions and challenges beliefs.  

Every child begins their life as budding scientists.  Most every parent will attest to the uninhibited and unabashed curiosity of their children, they want to know what things are and how they work.  Unfortunately by the time they have a chance to begin science in school this curiosity is replaced with boredom.  Science does not seem to relate to everyday life.  

Many studies have focused on this problem.  Recommendations range from increasing the level of training for science teachers to curriculum reforms.   But most of these studies fail in one important area.   The teaching of science fails to reveal the breathtaking vistas of the universe. The focus is on the need to first gain competency with details instead of engaging students with the big picture.  The big picture captures the drama and it’s a drama that’s been unfolding for thousands of years. 

Just to get a sense of the raw material available, in physics the most revolutionary of advances have occurred in the last one hundred years.  More recently the last ten years have witnessed an upheaval in the understanding of the composition of the universe, a whole new picture of the cosmos.  Unfortunately it is rare to see a mention of these paradigm-shaking developments in a middle school or high school science class.  And it’s the same for biology, chemistry and math. 

The root of the problem is a firm belief in the approach that you must master A before moving onto B.  But science is so much more than it’s details.   Our greatest scientists had the curiosity and the insights to move ahead of solving problems and reciting facts.  They were transported. 

Science needs to be taught young and in a way that captures the imagination.  It needs to be placed alongside of literature, art and music, as an indispensable part of an interesting life. 

Teachers can begin by becoming more curious and paying attention.  There’s a lot to bring attention to and engage students of all ages in the conversation of what things are and how they work.  The more this can be done the more students will want to know.  It is the birthright of every student to look into the sky and marvel at the creation of the universe.