US Science Education Discussion on Dr.Kiki's Science Hour and Book Updates
I have been a very busy reader lately and want to share about some great books I've been enjoying
and hope you can delve into very soon, too.
First of all, I will be on Dr. Kiki's Science Hour today (March 10, 2011) with the fabulous self taught electrical engineer, Jeri Ellsworth.
Check out this video about batteries, one in a series explaining electrical engineering to the masses:
Dr. Kiki is out on maternity leave, so the two of us gals will cause a little mayhem by discussing
the state of science education in the US. I'm not an education policy expert by any means, but have always been interested
in how to best explain science to the general public (hence this website).
Jeri and I started a flurry of
activity on twitter by asking people to share memorable science teachers or specific science moments!
So
far, informally, I see the following trends:
Most share a story from 7th, 8th or 9th grade.
As expected, explosions and guts are very memorable.
People really appreciate a teacher
who listens, cares and believes in them!
People like the funny or unexpected.
More on this at a later date!
Onto books:
In
education, I just read the book by Teach for America's founder Wendy Kopp, A Chance to Make History:
What Works and What Doesn't in Providing an Excellent Education for All A very revealing look at what it takes to have teachers and an education system with the power to transform the
life of children in the poorest and underserved areas of the country (and world). Great leaders are important!
In
science, I have a couple of recent video reviews including the new one up above about two tenacious diseases, MRSA and Cancer.
Probably not good reads for someone who is nervous about their health!
A very revealing look at what it takes to have teachers and an education system with the power to transform the
life of children in the poorest and underserved areas of the country (and world). Great leaders are important!
A reality check on what is going on in the nation's colleges and universities.
by Maryn McKenna
by Siddhartha Mukherjee 
by Sheril Kirschenbaum
by Hannah Holmes (I wrote one of the blurbs, by the way! :)
