In science class, students are learning to hate science | Hou...

Across the land, students in science class diligently memorize human cell components like DNA, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. They learn to rigidly order the natural world, from kingdom down to species.

And — most disturbingly, say a growing number of scientists — they learn to hate science.

Advocates cite many problems with science education, such as teachers lacking a science background. But perhaps the most critical issue, they say, is standardized testing that forces students to memorize and regurgitate.

“Students don’t need to know what an endoplasmic reticulum is,” said Bruce Alberts, editor of the journal Science and former president of the National Academies of Science, who has called for a “revolution” in science education.

“Bad tests are forcing a trivialization of science education and drive most students away from science. Real science is exciting. It’s completely different from these textbooks.”

Yet change may be afoot in Texas, with some legislators calling for a re-evaluation of the influence of TAKS testing. And some science educators see opportunities to change science class from a dull exercise in memorization to inquiry-based learning.

There’s no shortage of smart people tackling the issue, like Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon Lederman, who argues that children should be taught physics first in high school in order to grasp the broad outlines of the natural world.

“I’ve been working at it for a long time,” he said. “We’re not doing well. Meaningless testing is a bad thing. If we want scientific literacy, then we want teachers to teach the beauty of science, the fun in it, the humor in it, and to bring examples of modern science into the classroom.”

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