Research Universities Resistant to Proven Science Instruction Methods
NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF STATE SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS COALITIONS
News Brief #4066 Category: Studies and Reports
A special report in The Chronicle of Higher Education finds that research universities tend to be especially reluctant to change teaching methods and curriculum to improve science instruction. Even when proven methods are presented to faculty and administration, they tend to become bogged down for a variety of reasons including lack of funding, entrenched teaching styles, and an emphasis on research productivity over teaching.
This is particularly problematic as the critical need for more students and educators in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields are needed and as more and more attention is focused on this problem by both Congress and the While House. And according to Elaine Seymour, a sociologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder and author of Talking About Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave the Sciences, many students who drop their science majors are actually quite academically well prepared and motivated and not weeded out through introductory courses for laziness or lack of aptitude. Studies show that these introductory college courses are an obstruction in the academic pipeline, particularly for minority students.
Some projects are underway to try to effect a quick change in academia, and according to Susan B. Millar, a senior scientist in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, "We don't really have the time to wait around for another 20 years for this kind of sea change to occur."
SOURCE: The Chronicle of Higher Education, 3 August 2007
WEBSITE: http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i48/48a01601.htm (registration required)
Americans Want More Technology and Global Curriculum in Classroom
NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF STATE SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS COALITIONS
News Brief #4058 Category: Studies and Reports
Cisco® has released a survey entitled "Education Attitudes 2007," which indicates that Americans believe technology is an important factor in keeping the U.S. educational system competitive in the 21st century. Survey results also indicate that Americans believe technology better connects communities and schools and provides equal access to educational content. In addition, Americans believe that schools should place a greater emphasis on teaching a global perspective and using a more global curriculum.
Specifically, 69 percent of Americans believe that science and mathematics courses should be made mandatory for grades 7 through 12 because of the importance of science and mathematics to success in the 21st century workforce. In addition, 59 percent of Americans agree that more should be done to incorporate technology into the classroom because "information technology is a vital tool that can help educate our students by providing access to video and other dynamic content."
The survey of 7000 Americans over the age of 18 was conducted by Zogby International in May.
SOURCE: CNN, 26 July 2007
WEBSITE: http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0282770.htm
High School Math Knowledge Improves College Science Performance
NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF STATE SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS COALITIONS
News Brief #4062 Category: Studies and Reports
A new study shows a correlation between high school mathematics courses and improved college science performance. A survey of 8,474 students taking introductory science courses at 63 U.S. colleges and universities showed that every year of high school mathematics a student took added 1.86 points to their grade in college chemistry, a 1.84 point boost for college biology, and a 1.28 points for physics. According to one of the researchers, Philip M. Sadler, "The most important thing for high school science teachers is to make sure there is lots of math in whatever science course they teach. Math is so important in college science."
In addition, high school courses in biology, chemistry, and physics do help prepare students for the same courses in college. According to the published report, "The two pillars supporting college science appear to be study in the same science subject and more advanced mathematics study in high school."
The study was conducted by Philip M. Sadler of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Robert H. Tai of the University of Virginia and is published in the July 27 issue of the journal Science.
SOURCE: USA Today, 27 July 2007
WEBSITE: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/mathscience/2007-07-26-take-math-for-science_N.htm
Bad at Math? Stereotypes Hamper Women
NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF STATE SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS COALITIONS
News Brief #3997 Category: Education Study Report
A University of Chicago study confirms what educators and researchers have long known: women who are told men are better at math tend to underperform on tests.
However, this study goes a step further to show that the effect of the stereotype persists, and even hurts performance in other areas.
Women college students who were told they were taking a test that would help researchers figure out why men are better at math did worse on the test than women who were not told of the stereotype. In addition, the women in the first group didn’t do as well on a verbal test that followed.
The study also sheds light on what leads to the underperformance. The lead researcher, Sian Beilock, an assistant professor of psychology, found that the worry and anxiety caused by the math stereotype used up some of the short-term memory capacity needed to solve the math problems.
“Reading this, you really feel like we’re starting to understand the nitty-gritty of what is going on with stereotypes and math performance,” said Jeremy Gray, an assistant professor of psychology at Yale. “Moreover, the findings carry immediate suggestions for what might be done to alleviate the negative influences of stereotypes.”
SOURCE: Baltimore Sun Times, 24 May 2007
WEBSITE: http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/399436,CST-NWS-stereo24.article