Science Education: International Perspectives
As science educators, we often wonder how what is happening in Canada resonates with science education developments worldwide. Recently a very important Canadian Science Outreach and Promotion organization Let’s Talk Science produced a report that I hope many educators will read: Spotlight on science learning: The high cost of dropping science and math. It talks about our future and role of math and science education in it. I will talk about it in my CAP invited talk this summer: CAP2014_InvitedMilnerBolotin. However, what I would like to discuss here is a book by Amanda Ripley (2013), called “The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way”. I think every educator should read it and not just educators – anybody who cares about our children and our country. The book talk about educational systems of Finland, USA, Poland and South Korea. However, unlike many other research studies, this book is written bya journalist, who wants to add a personal prospective. Amanda Ripley interviews teenagers who go on exchange in these countries and who can compare these educational systems. I was fascinated by the book. The video below is an opportunity to get to know Amanda Ripley, but please read the book. It is worth every second of your time.
