Re: [unrev-II] Science Education Paradox

From: N. C a r r o l l (ncarroll@hastingsresearch.com)
Date: Tue Aug 28 2001 - 07:39:30 PDT

  • Next message: V.S.Uren@open.ac.uk: "RE: [unrev-II] Science Education Paradox"

    [slipping Victoria and answering Gary....]

    > It is the nature of world class universities to attract the best
    > academics, both in research and teaching. There is a statistic I would be
    > interested to know if anyone has access to it: what percentage of faculty
    at
    > universities in the USA received their primary education in the United
    > States?
    >
    > Victoria Uren
    > KMi, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
    >

    > ...
    > > The discrepancy between our college system and our primary education is
    > > amazing and nearly inexplicable. It appears that primary schooling
    > > throughout Europe is superior to ours, and yet some of our universities
    > > rank among the best in the world.

    It's surely amazing, yet explicable. European primary education generally
    puts a student on the street with the equivalent of a four-year degree from
    an average American university (with exceptions; Americans who have
    to wait for university to learn basic composition never really catch up
    in that area). In short, U.S. public primary education is appalling.
    However,
    that is also a national strength. Where European students are actually
    learning, they are all learning the same things. American students who
    want to learn are largely self-taught. This produces a much greater range
    of viewpoints, and is a major source of the startling American rate of
    innovation.

    Or phrased another way: the U.S. system produces great innovation,
    at the cost of letting the bulk of students fall through the cracks to
    ignorance and semi-literacy. European schools produce consistently
    literate, educated students, at the cost of stifling students who might
    have learned more on their own.

    Nicholas

    --
    ________________________________
    Nicholas Carroll
    ncarroll@hastingsresearch.com
    Travel: ncarroll@iname.com
    http://www.hastingsresearch.com
    ________________________________
    

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