Science and Self Education ...

[Luanne]

How important is this anyway? I mean how important is science when it come to self education. I didn't have much science in school and quite honestly (even though I do find it interesting some) I don't seem to be very good at it. I can't figure out what to use for science. Money is a big factor, but just using the library ... well, I just can't seem to pull it together.

[Guest Lorna]

Laura in China suggested The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science by Nathalie Angier in a previous post. It is a great introduction to science for adults. Professors of science from around the world tell you what they think is the most important thing to know about their particular discipline. There is evolutionary content in it, and it is somewhat of its time, but it is very readable and inspiring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Michelle in AL]

If you're talking about educating yourself so that can be a better teacher to your children, than my suggestion is this. Learn along with your children. Most pre-prepared curriculum will give you background information on topics. Prepare for the lesson by reading ahead. This may be the weekend before or the summer before. If you start at the beginning, you will relearn everything and layer more complex information on what you've previously learned with them. For teaching children in the younger years I found hands on curriculum helpful, such as KONOS, BJU, Magic school bus books, Christian Kids Explore Biology etc. These you may be able to find used fairly inexpensively. For the older years, I've used the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia to reeducate myself, when I'm stuck on a topic. I just recently had to learn about s,p, & d orbitals for my dd's 8th grade chemistry :eek: I didn't even know such a thing existed, but I read the information in her textbook ahead of time, thought through the parts I was confused about, googled the topic and read more. Then I was prepared enough to answer any questions she may have. The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia is a one time purchase that answers many questions.

 

In answer to is it important to know science? I'd say yes, but I come from a family that all chose scientific careers. I've also seen 2 of my brothers not able to major in their chosen scientific major in college because they couldn't make good enough grades in chemistry due to a poor high school background. You never know what your children may want to persue. Now, if this is strictly for your own re-education than I wouldn't worry too much about science unless you're homeschooling your own children through upper levels or want to go into a science career yourself.

 

HTH some, Michelle in AL

[Laura K (NC)]

It's basic for a well-rounded high schooler... I think as basic as any other single class. If money is an issue, maybe you could trade skills with another local mom/college kid/adult who knows and loves science and can teach it at the high school level. If you teach it and don't see a point to it, it probably won't be worth your time to do it or even oversee it.

[nmoira]

If your library has it, there's an excellent summary (in adult language) of a rigorous and connected K-6 science education in Nebel's Elementary Education. It's presented in essay form, detailing what the child should understand at the end of the process. This would be a good starting place because it's a quick read, written by a scientist, and assumes no background knowledge.

 

I'm not trying to insult you by suggesting elementary materials... this really is a good stuff.

[percytruffle]

For self education I think study of science is extremely important. Many of the current hot-button issues are science related: global warming, evolution vs. creation, bio-engineering of our food supply, cloning. We need to inform ourselves enough to understand the implications of the direction science is taking us and be bold enough to form an educated opinion about, at least some, of the issues. We don't have to be scientists, but we do have to be informed, wise decision makers.

 

I don't have any specific book suggestions, but I would spend time studying the history of scientific ideas and how they developed over time and what/who influenced their change. I would also spend a few hours a week reading through the science magazines at the library to keep informed about the current trends and debates. Then, I might invest in some of The Teaching Company's lectures on basic sciences.

[Jane in NC]

How important is this anyway? I mean how important is science when it come to self education. I didn't have much science in school and quite honestly (even though I do find it interesting some) I don't seem to be very good at it. I can't figure out what to use for science. Money is a big factor, but just using the library ... well, I just can't seem to pull it together.

 

The technology upon which our society relies is based on science. That alone is perhaps sufficient reason to study science, but I have another. The world is a beautiful place and the more I learn about it via travel and science, the more I appreciate it.

 

I think that a great way for an adult to begin science education is with a really good science writer, someone like Sue Hubbell and her book A Country Year or A Book of Bees. A classic of environmental science is Aldo Leopold's book A Sand County Almanac. Search through some of the old boards to read Jean's posts on star gazing.

 

Go into your backyard with your kids and a stack of guide books to identify insects and birds. Get out the binoculars, slow down and watch what is happening out there. Does your Extension service have a junior master gardener program or 4-H programs in horticulture, forestry, etc.? You might find that some of these programs can work for both science and extra-curricular activities.

 

Jane

[Jan P.]

Don't forget that the Boy Scouts have quite a bit of inexpensive handbooks science related for their members to be awarded badges. The 4-H handbooks are great too, and they are free too from your local county extension office.

[Beth in Central TX]

I'm not a science person either, but if I'm going to teach my boys, then I need to at least have a clue. I've been reading through the Elementary Apologia series along with my sons, and that has really helped me to understand a good deal about astronomy, botany, and zoology. However, these books can get a bit pricey when you purchase them all at once.

 

So, I would like to suggest the book, Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy by Hazen & Trefil. You may be able to find this book in your library or through their interlibrary loan program. I didn't always understand what I was reading, but it did give me a good overview of the different disciplines of science. I also didn't agree with the chapter on evolution, but I now have a better understanding of that viewpoint. Overall, it was a good introduction for a non-science person like me, and it was less than 300 pages long.

 

HTH!

[Charon]

...and this will sound paradoxical coming from a math nazi like me, but I don't care so much about science. Don't get me wrong, I like physics as much as the next guy -- black holes and stuff are totally cool. On a personal level, I like science. However, outside of a basic one year of biology and one year of chemistry, I don't think it is crucial to do it -- not even for future physicists or engineers. It's not that science isn't crucial for those disciplines so much as that they will do it all again in college. I took a ton of physics, a year of chemistry, and AP biology when I went through the program. Chemistry was literally a blow-by-blow rehash of high school chemistry only just about exactly twice as fast. (But, all of college is twice as fast, so hopefully the pace doesn't shock anyone.) I guess I don't know what biology would have been like in actual college, but once again, the AP biology I took was literally just like the regular biology only it consumed two class periods instead of one and we covered twice as much stuff. So, that's almost the same sort of outcome. I didn't take physics in high school at all, and, although the freshman sequence I took in college was super lame, I did do just fine in it. (I think I made a B or something.)

 

It's kind of like asking "But, what if I want to be philosopher?? Should I take high school philosophy?" Well, in some sense, sure. But, more realistically, no body does, and they can't really assume too much when you get to college about what you really know coming out of high school. I think everyone should know some basics about how the world works, but I just am not going to emphasize science, myself. (We "box check" it with Singapore Science.) And, I think that with a super strong math background, they will be able to walk in to any discipline and do fine on their freshman course sequence. (And conversely, I kind of think it is a lot harder to get along in a calculus-based physics class if you can't do calculus but you have tons of conceptual physics under your belt rather than the reverse of no physics but strong on calculus.)

[Luanne]

I'm not a science person either, but if I'm going to teach my boys, then I need to at least have a clue. I've been reading through the Elementary Apologia series along with my sons, and that has really helped me to understand a good deal about astronomy, botany, and zoology. However, these books can get a bit pricey when you purchase them all at once.

 

So, I would like to suggest the book, Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy by Hazen & Trefil. You may be able to find this book in your library or through their interlibrary loan program. I didn't always understand what I was reading, but it did give me a good overview of the different disciplines of science. I also didn't agree with the chapter on evolution, but I now have a better understanding of that viewpoint. Overall, it was a good introduction for a non-science person like me, and it was less than 300 pages long.

 

HTH!

 

I remember coming across this title recently while reading Latin Centered Curriculum and I completely forgot about it.