Should third graders get to "ask questions"?

Question

This came up in an evolution thread. Several people said third graders should get to ask questions and if evolution is so great, then they'll get answers and everything will be fine.

I don't think I got to ask questions in third grade. I asked once why you couldn't divide by zero, and my teacher just said, "It's a rule." I thought that was stupid until several years later when I had Calculus. But...if she had tried to explain it then, I would never have understood it.

I once asked my dad why the sky was blue and he tried to explain atmosphere absorption theory (he's a geek, what can I say). Needless to say, it was a disaster.

Should children ask questions of their teachers about evolution when they can't possibly understand the answers? Should they do the same for math, history, and other sciences? Or should we just expect them to learn it and they'll understand the reasons why when they get older?

So...if the kid asks a really complicated question, the teacher should start explaining the finer points of abiogenesis? That seems a big expectation for a third grade teacher... o_O

Answer 1

It's absoulutely fine for kids to ask questions about evolution.

Teachers ought to be able to answer kids' questions in terms the kid can understand. The problem arises when the question is not really the kids', but has been fed to the child by adults. In that situation the kid may not understand the question, let alone the answer.

Answer 2

I don't see why any graders shouldn't be encouraged to ask questions. Albert Einstiens parents (i think his dad) told him to ask a lot of questions, if he didn't understand something or wanted to learn more about it. Even if it is way above a third graders head they should at least be able to try and get the answers they want. For example your teacher could have said with the division by zero "it might be a little complicated but..." and tried to explain it as simply as possible than you wouldn't have gone through a pretty good portion of your life thinking "man thats just stupid" and instead thought "i didn't get that so i wanna learn the stuff i need to to make sense out of that"'. Also keep in mind, that a persons knowledge is limited to what they have exprinced, read about, seen ect. ect. A third grader isn't going to ask for the finer details of the quantum physics involved in the big bang theory but instead something more like "whats the big bang theory?" My point is, no matter what the subject people of any age, any grade should ask questions. if no one asked questions where would humans be? the stone age or below. people said "hey, think i can make this sharper so i can kill things easier" and the other guy went "well i geuss, lets try (this and that)" then it was "hey think we can make something with a ton+ of mass get into a space and carry people to the moon?" And the other guy said "hmmm I don't know lets try (this and that)"

Sorry but Earl D maybe you should have worked on your READING COMPREHENSION you wonder why your getting thumbs downs but your flaming about things that haven't even come up. If you wanna talk about fundamentals maybe you should try to learn the fundamentals of public speaking. if you want results don't insult your audience. now please take a chill pill because this is ridiculous..

Answer 3

Of course children should be allowed to ask questions; its one of the main ways they learn.

The problem is how to answer them. Its possible to explain to a 3rd grader that you can't divide by zero, if you illustrate it: "You can't divide something by nothing." You may have to do some verbal gymnastics, but its accurate.

Evolution is a bit more advanced though. If your average 3rd grader knows much about it, then they probably picked it up at home. REGARDLESS of the teacher's personal beliefs, (s)he is obligated to answer these type of questions (given that its science class and not math). It can be done without going into the mechanics behind it.

Kids are capable of learning quite a bit, its just a matter of the presentation. Give it to them in terms they can grasp, and you'll be surprised.

Answer 4

Sweetie a third grader is more than capable of understanding a great many things. when I was in the 3rd grade I was studding from my older brothers university biology text book.
My 3 year old daughter is reading books like "If you give a mouse a cookie" to my two year old. She knows what an umbilical cord is and what it does.
We went to the Field museum in Chicago and she understood about evolution from the wonderful exhibit they currently have on the subject. She understands that we know about dinosaurs because of finding their bones and that they are no longer living.
She was mesmerized by the fossils of all kinds of dinosaurs.
Not letting a third grader ask questions in school is one reason why I will be homeschooling.

Answer 5

Yes.. the questions should always be welcomed.

Age is not a requirement of inquisitiveness and it doesn't mean that one should not be allowed to express his interests in question form. Answers to a third grader's questions might have to be tailored to the third grade mind. Your teacher gave an excellent "third grade" answer while your Dad may have given an "eight grade" answer. Neither was absolutely wrong, however. The questioning little mind should not be stifled - it needs to be nourished with appropriate and honest answers.

We are in the religion section here and I want to add something because of that fact - that the absolute worst answer, the one which is the most knowledge stifling response ever given to to a developing mind, is: "Because God made it that way..."

How extremely uninformative and ignorant it is to expect that lame answer to satisfy a child's natural curiosity and his desire to continue learning the truth of his surroundings? It is selfish and it is an outright lie of omission.

(((((( r u randy? ))))))
.
POST SCRIPT to Typical Creationi.. (the first responder):
Okay... you've convinced me. There is an answer worse than: "Because God made it that way.."

Answer 6

Yes, tell them to keep asking questions. Young children do have to be told things in black and white, that is why it is the responsibility of the parents and education system to give them accurate information to begin with. If they really want to question the validity of an answer, they deserve a more detailed explaination. That is, an explaination that is detailed, but still easy to understand, through analogy rather than jargon.

Answer 7

As they grow to understand more things, so too should the evolution theory be taught at the appropriate grade level.

Answer 8

Its the LIBTARD time table. To tension US to be "Accepting" of criminals who illegally pass our borders, scouse borrow OUR tax funds faraway from OUR families and kill and injure hundreds of people a three hundred and sixty 5 days... yet of direction we cant tell our teenagers the actuality with regards to unlawful IMMIGRATION so it gets "dumbed down" Its like asking infants to communicate approximately different Criminals. can we truly need Libtard instructors forcing their very own time table on our teenagers. That instructor might desire to be fired or a minimum of given a warning to maintain her very own politics faraway from the youngsters !!

Answer 9

Yes all children should ask questions.If you don't know ,say I don't know.
You can break down the hardest question,to give a simple answer.
People like to give complicated answers to look smart.
My granddaughter(8) has asked about evolution.
"Her reply,that's the silliest thing I ever heard."
She is a Christian,told her teacher about Creation.
Her teacher said"yes I believe as you,but I do have to teach this theory."
Children are much smarter today.<><

Answer 10

Yes, they should get to ask questions to a certain extent. But it's up to the teacher to decide what extent that is. And if te child is just being disruptive, like the ones in the article you posted, well, it's parent-teacher conference time.