So I just saw a blog blurb referencing an article suggesting that liberal education may do more for thinking than teaching in science and mathematics. I find this hard to believe.
The issue is on the nature of the instruction. I just judged at a middle school science fair. Some of the projects were good, most were not so much. Some demonstrated knowledge of some science, but few demonstrated actual initiative. That is what is lacking. When an experiment fails, when data seems to suggest something different from what one was expecting, this should generate excitement and further investigations. It is incredible when something fails. It is a great opportunity to learn. I saw many missed opportunities at the science fair. And this is not a matter of knowledge. It is a matter of time and attitude.
I seriously doubt the issue in academia is that of the subject matter. What the NYTimes blurb suggests is two separate notions of what has gone wrong. One, too much science and mathematics. Two, too much profit/consumer focus. I categorically reject the first. A good exploration of science, mathematics, and/or programming, will teach one all the critical thinking skills one needs. Note the emphasis on exploration; it is not education. A teacher standing in the front saying, “Do these ten problems, learn these facts, master this or that” will not do much for anyone’s critical thinking skills. The same can be said in the liberal arts. Reading a book, reading people’s philosophies, memorizing art facts, will do nothing for a student. But having the spark of life from enjoying a good story, from hearing a different point of view, from seeing the depth in a piece of art, that is something wonderful. It is that spark of life, that exploration which is critical. It cannot be forced, it cannot be taught. It can, however, be invited.
And it is therefore the second point, the consumerization of education, which is actually the important point. Education is about turning out people who can get jobs. That is what it is and, indeed, what it needs to be, in some sense. Life is hard and we want our people to have food in the mouth. The world cannot, at the present time, support 6 billion independent, creative, artistic people with no useful skills or knowledge. We need a lot of industrial movement, we need big business movements. Hopefully, that will change and change soon. But at the moment, getting a job is very important and questioning every one and every thing is not the way to succeed in that endeavor. I should know.
Therefore, what I think one needs to do is to have this education bit be one part of a student’s life. The other is to encourage the exploration. Find ways to get students to really explore, setting them up with mentors, giving them the time to explore, the resources to experiment. It is not about teachers. They can transmit skills, knowledge, and make a baseline separation of people into groups that get it and those that do not. But creativity does not come from the classroom. It can never come from the classroom. I think the greatest tragedy of our times with regards to young people is how much time is either sucked up in resume-building activities or pointless browsing/texting/….
For those concerned, encourage interested reading, writing, puzzling, questioning. Make sure students have breathing time. Not just free time, but actual noiseless time. Let their minds expand. It need not be in STEM, but STEM does need to be known and has plenty of space for such activities. But STEM will not inspire all (probably not most). And that’s fine. They can still, and should, learn STEM. But there must be time given for the imagination. Give a human space, time, and quiet; the result will be the most fantastical creations.
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