About teaching, not just teaching 'climate stuff'

I have friends that went to Rutgers. Their lecture halls for entry level courses sit 700. At least one of them had a professor that refused to use the microphone there.

As for getting news from the Daily Show, well, the others just suck. They are either too biased or spend way too much time on a single subject or can't be bothered to goto actual breaking news. Before Al Jazeera America was available, the Daily Show was really the only reasonable outlet out there. Heck, even Russia TV is better for some subjects than the main three American news channels.

Back to science education, it really needs to start before kids get to college, and that can be said for most subjects. I just think too few good teachers enter the profession.

 

I don't think tenure is the big problem, its the idea at least at my schools that research is more important than teaching. That is especially teaching a bunch of kids fresh from high school with very different levels and experiences. It can't be fun teaching intro to biology, and have to go over evolution, when some of the students' parents have taught them that evolution is a lie, and you have to answer questions to make the students understand the science without insulting their religion. There is a lot of rote memorization, that maybe with all the information on our phones just is not needed In intro physics there are many students without the proper math background.

Perhaps the answer is to have many of the lectures for these introductory classes in entertaining videos. That way different schools could see what other schools are doing and what is most sucessful. The students could watch at their leisure, and catch up or go ahead easily. Less boring lectures. Then professors could concentrate on discussion and interesting topics instead of spending time on remedial information that some students need.

 

I am talking about big state universities, but in their intro biology courses they have to cover science versus church, and do it in a way that gets the students to understand the science and undo some bad work the high schools, churches and parents. Since they are state subsidized, they want to do it in a way that doesn't offend the parents and politicians. I can see why most professors don't want to teach the intro course.

Maybe Mr. Nye,and Dr. Tyson can make some entertaining evolution materials for the Universities.

 

there are some far out churches that are still anti dinosaur, but the Catholic church and most mainline protestants don't date the earth and accept evolution. neither theory disproves God.
even Pope Francis is concerned about cc.

 

it's the key to deflate gate. what kind of news are you getting over there?