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Dr. Keller received her Ph.D. in biophysical chemistry from the University of New Mexico in 1992.
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What do we want from science education?
Science plays a huge role in our daily lives. Everywhere we look, science can be found. Science has given us our cell phones, our medical treatments, our washing machines, and even our food. Many people are excited about the new iPad, but a look under the hood will reveal that 40+ years of science and technological development are behind this new product. Steve Jobs and the creation of the iPad have the researchers at the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), among many others, to thank. Modern life would not be what it is today without scientific research, because scientific research leads to technological advances.
Although technological advances can, at times, have a negative impact on society and the environment, technology also helps people live longer and better lives, and it makes sense that we want to educate the next generation of young minds to further these technological advances. Because science is needed for technology, it also makes sense that we would want to keep teaching science in public schools and encourage homeschools to include science in their homeschool programs. But what exactly do we want from science education?
Of course, we want kids to learn the essentials, and as scientific information expands exponentially, we want kids to learn how to organize all the necessary information. Teaching solid content is important. But science is also about understanding the world around us and finding meaning in it. Science is more than just the foundation for technological advances. Science also gives us some insight into the bigger picture. What does it mean to know that the earth spins on a tilted axis circling a hot ball of fire? Science as a way to gain understanding is where the greatest questions are asked and where the most heated controversies exist. Learning solid content and how philosophy has played a role in defining scientific meaning is essential for a good science education. Real Science-4-Kids provides students with both the content and the philosophy behind it.
(To learn more about how philosophy is part of science, see the Real Science-4-Kids Philosophy Kog)
I love this blog. I agree that there’s a chasm between Christian science education and secular science education. I applaud Dr. Keller’s courageous statement that people who believe in God’s absolute truth need not be afraid of exploring the world through scientific methods. Just look at all the mind-bending, anti-materialistic properties of the universe discovered through modern quantum physics! Don’t let any politically correct scientist–or even a dogmatic Christian–fool you by forcing your thinking into their pre-constructed box! God is much bigger than we humans can conceive.