Chemistry, physics, biology: the trivium of applied sciences. Here, "knowledge through measurement" reigns supreme (Door meten tot weten - Heike Kamerlingh Onnes). To this trivium we can add computer science and mathematics as prerequisites. Where do we stand in their teaching?
Teaching science usually starts with the basics, but with the tree of possibilities now so full, some areas are quickly covered, such as simple electronics or solution chemistry. We prefer to talk about well-publicized areas of innovation, nanotechnology, climatology or genetics, fields whose complexity quickly eludes basic teaching. Fashions shift, new fields of interest unfold, such as remote sensing, astrophysics, DNA sequencing, 3D modeling, robotics and many others, and A.I. only accelerates things. We're almost condemned to just flying over it.
There are so many new scientific developments that one wonders how teaching programs are constructed, and with what vision. Teaching this or that, energy production or wave detection, the study of molecules or oceans, living organisms or their DNA? On what scale? How can we maintain coherence?
In the end, the focus is on fundamental principles, methods and tools, on what underpins a discipline, on what doesn't change but can evolve and be adapted, with good practical examples. In this way, learners are equipped for further learning, whatever direction they take or science takes. As countries and regions specialize, competition and collaboration develop into a complex and dynamic web.
Is there an area of science that has already intrigued you? Let's not think about it, let's find out.
Denys Lamontagne - [email protected]
Illustration: vska - DepositPhotos
