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>The Pentagon’s far-out research arm Darpa is soliciting >proposals for initiatives that would attract teens to >careers in science, technology, engineering a

by colah 17y ago

>The Pentagon’s far-out research arm Darpa is soliciting >proposals for initiatives that would attract teens to >careers in science, technology, engineering and math >(STEM), with an emphasis on computing. _Teaching_ these subjects to teens would probably be a good start. I'm being serious. The junk that is taught in most schools (and I'm Canadian: our education system is supposedly better than the US) and absurdly labeled these subjects is a huge part of the problem. Math is taught like magic. Experiments have been banned from the science classroom. Computer science classes teach typing. I'm exaggerating a little: math occasionally gets explanations, science may occasionally have a very simple experiment, computer science students may learn some programing. But those are the exception, not the rule. It's utterly broken.

andreyf 17y ago
Complaining is easy, but how do we fix it? Alan Kay has some ideas: http://vpri.org/html/work/tlpiese.htm http://vpri.org/html/work/tlpiese.htm In essence, he believes the power of computers is as a medium for experimentation. If you make it easy for kids to simulate models from axioms, they'll be able to think better. One might call that "programming", but it's really quite a bit more than what people do now.
- rick_2047 17y ago
  Complaining is easy, but how do we fix it? Um.. in this case fixing is also pretty easy.Just start with making a curriculum which is more inclined towards experimentation and research. Tell students to find things out by them selves instead of spoon feeding them. Tell them the syntax of the language and then keep lab open (open as in anyone can come in and do programming) so that they can work on interesting things. And above all, GRADE them on these experiments. Start off with keeping them as extra credit and graduate that to making it a part of curriculum. PS:May be one day I would have money and will open up something like "South Harmon Institute of Technology" from the movie "Accepted". Where mind is allowed to stroll freely in the depths of thoughts not drown in books and formulas.
  - andreyf 17y ago
    Aren't you simplifying this just a little too much?

by colah 17y ago

andreyf 17y ago

Complaining is easy, but how do we fix it? Alan Kay has some ideas: http://vpri.org/html/work/tlpiese.htm http://vpri.org/html/work/tlpiese.htm In essence, he believes the power of computers is as a medium for experimentation. If you make it easy for kids to simulate models from axioms, they'll be able to think better. One might call that "programming", but it's really quite a bit more than what people do now.

rick_2047 17y ago
Complaining is easy, but how do we fix it? Um.. in this case fixing is also pretty easy.Just start with making a curriculum which is more inclined towards experimentation and research. Tell students to find things out by them selves instead of spoon feeding them. Tell them the syntax of the language and then keep lab open (open as in anyone can come in and do programming) so that they can work on interesting things. And above all, GRADE them on these experiments. Start off with keeping them as extra credit and graduate that to making it a part of curriculum. PS:May be one day I would have money and will open up something like "South Harmon Institute of Technology" from the movie "Accepted". Where mind is allowed to stroll freely in the depths of thoughts not drown in books and formulas.
- andreyf 17y ago
  Aren't you simplifying this just a little too much?