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Return to E-mail Discussion page Next in threadHi all, First, let me pass along a request: Since we don't all know each other, please include a brief introduction in your first posting to the list. That will help everyone know something about the perspective you bring to the discussion. So... I'm Todd Duncan, and my "official" fields of study are astrophysics and science education. I teach in the Center for Science Education at Portland State University, in Portland, Oregon. I'm also president of the Science Integration Institute, which hosts this discussion list. I'd like to suggest that we get things started on the topic of "science literacy." There's been much discussion in the science education community during the past few years about the sorry state of science literacy among the general public (or among the students in our classes). I've noticed in discussions about this problem that there is no clear agreement on what "science literacy" means, and no agreement on why exactly it is important for most people in society to be "science-literate." Some define science literacy in terms of specific facts and skills from various disciplines of science (e.g. The "National Science Education Standards" published by the National Research Council in 1996). Others define it more generally, in terms of attitudes about science or understanding of the basic goals, methods, and limitations of science. (eg. Morris Shamos' "The Myth of Scientific Literacy," or the "Science Cornerstone" program at Portland State). It's difficult to know how to move forward, without articulating clearly *why* we want science literacy, and *how we would recognize it* if we saw it. So, I'd like to throw out 2 questions, to see if we can arrive at some kind of consensus: 1) Why is it important for the "average person" to know about science? (To be more specific, let's ask the question about a typical college student who is not majoring in a science or engineering field). 2) What should they know? What knowledge, skills, or attitudes are necessary in order for someone to be classified as "science-literate?" Todd |
