How do you deal with science?

Question

I actually had some pretty strong opinions about home schooling, but reading some of the questions and answers here have made me feel somewhat less hostile to home schooling, but I cannot shake one of the few experiences I have had with a woman who was home schooled. She actually tried to convince me that mudras - hand positions in yoga - can stop a heart attack. Now, whether she was fed this nonsense as religious dogma or she came to believe it as an adult, this woman was either never taught proper science, never taught critical thinking, or never taught either. How to you both assure that your children are getting a proper science education (I've seen a number of people say that their children are self-taught in this department) and make sure your children can think critically?

Answer 1

I'm home educated. I don't do anything like chemistry or physics (they're not needed for the Uni course I'm going to do) but my brother was able to do both subjects successfully right up to the HSC (Year 13) using what he could find at home or easily get from the pharmacy, local store etc.

I have done various critical thinking courses since I was 10 years old though. There's no reason why home educated kids should feel deprived of the opportunity to learn how to think critically for themselves.

PS I was told by a cardiologist a while ago that coughing can help if you reckon you're having a heart attack. So, while the idea of yoga might not be the whole answer, if it relaxes you and therefore your heart muscles, i guess it may help the flow of blood to the heart muscle thus reducing the amount of pain and possibly limiting the potential damage.

Hannah

Answer 2

Hmm - I've always thought that the public schools' approach towards the teaching 'to the test', not allowing students to question their text/teacher, and spoon feeding only prescribed information actually discouraged critical thinking in most children. And I certainly have encountered a number of people who were convinced that factually incorrect or outdated information was absolute based on what they learned in public school. "Bad" science isn't limited to public schools for that matter - look at the proliferation of incorrect data that comes through our media outlets, or the spin generated on facts and studies by both political parties. Add in that a lot of the public has been taught through 12 years of school not to question what they read and you've got a generally misinformed, unquestioning society.

I've deviated from the question, sry. You asked "How do you both assure that your children are getting a proper science education . . . and make sure your children can think critically?"
I'm not sure what would be considered a 'proper' science education. Certainly there are those with interests for whom preparing for college lvl labs and advanced mathematics would be prudent. For others, a general overview of the natural sciences, the scientific method, and algebra/geometry might be sufficient. Insofar as just resources, there is certainly enough material available to teach anything from the life cycle of a plant to relativistic chaos. Most homeschoolers encourage their children to ask questions and use different types of experiments and equations to prove hypothesies. Additionally, since information is taught through whatever learning style is best for the child, retention is typically higher.

I could go on - its a pretty broad subject and there are a multitude of opinions regarding what children need to know, what should be taught, etc. I think the basic thing in any scientific education is to encourage questioning and thinking. Briefly, since a lot of the sciences are ever-changing (depending on the discovery and increased understanding of new facts and scientific laws), giving a child the tools to evaluate and interpret new information is obviously more important then being able to recite precisely whatever the latest information is. I think most homeschoolers are doing a far better job conveying this to their pupils then other schools.

Answer 3

You might ask the same questions of public schools. There's no course in critical thinking and with the focus on testing, the focus is on memorizing facts, not on thinking critically.

If people were to learn to think critically--logically, just not in a critical manner--then we wouldn't see a whole host of behaviours we see today and people would not be so anti-homeschooling.

How do *you* know that certain hand positions can affect the flow of blood to stop a heart attack? I'm not saying that I believe it, but I haven't looked into any research and don't know if this principle of yoga is well-founded or not. Thinking critically doesn't mean just rejecting stuff; it means considering possibilities, thinking logically and finding information to support one way or another.

What is a "proper" science education? Science in public schools where I live at the elementary level is kind of mamby pamby exploration with having to learn things like the names of planets, what's a pulley, what's a lever, plants and animals need water, etc. At the jr. high and sr. high level, it's got nothing to do with science and definitely doesn't get into medical training and what can or can't stop a heart attack.

As for my kids' science, they're still only in elementary and kind of do what the public school kids do although they have more time for experiments and we don't necessarily cover the same topics. As they get older, we'll probably use the local textbooks. For thinking critically, that's just a part of parenting and we ask them questions and encourage them to think based on things that are going on.

Answer 4

Well, my son is younger, so for us the textbooks are working well right now. But, I have to say, some of THE WORST teachers I ever had in public school were my science teachers. In my schools coaches were the science teachers because they major in kinesiology, which is science, but in NO way equips them to teach it. These people took these classes to coach sports, not to engage critical thinking and capture imagination through experimentation.

And really, how do you know that your child is being taught proper science in school? 1st, scientific ideas are changing all the time, the basics stay the same, but they can be twisted to come to some pretty freaky conclusions. For example there are people that will say they have science that supports global warming, there are those who say that they have science that proves there is no global warming. There are people who say science supports creation, there are people who say science rules out creation. There are people who believe science is above morality, and there are those who believe that just because you can do something does not mean you should. Much of science is based on opinion.

You may disagree with that, but the fact of the matter is science PROVES very little. Science theorizes and if you take those theories to the next step and the next always following your own presuppositions and never considering the other side then your results will eventually be corrupt.

So, for me I teach my son creation science and evolutionary science. I teach them that this is what is currently believed, but caution him that by the time he is an adult it could be totally different. I urge him to remain open minded and yet follow his own heart. I rely on people smarter than me, with more prestigous degrees to tell me the points that are important. So far it is working.

As for those who say they allow their children to self teach, I don't want to presume to speak for them, but some allow their children to choose the topics they learn by their interest, and then supply a ton of books on the subject. They play games, they take nature walks, they learn but it is not nessesarily a curriculum. I think if a child shows particular interest and aptitude in science then by the time they reach upper levels the parent would find a strong curriculum to fuel that hunger to learn. If they do not then as a homeschool parent we can choose to teach the basics and walk away. There are a LOT of jobs that use no biology, chemisty, or physics.

Hope this perspective help.

Answer 5

What makes you think she's not right.

A heart attack is about a blockage (plaque) in the arteries and veins that are prone to contraction (they shrink and then stop the flow of blood).

Yoga and Meditations is about relaxing the body which generates dialation (expansions).

2,000 Years ago it was said Jesus restored life to a dead man with a touch of his hands.

Sounds silly but any Boy Scout can demonstrate CPR to you today.

We don't know HOW Jesus touched the man.

We just have a simple statement.

How would someone from Arabia 2,000 years ago describe to his people what the Boy Scout did!

Science is simply explaining the process of how CPR works and if possible turning it from a crude art form into a discipline.

It's well known Egyptian Doctors were doing Brain Surgery thousands of years ago. We have drawings that show it.

Modern Science didn't do that until the late 19th Century early 20th Century.

As to science, you get a few books, get a few gismos and do what students in college do. LAb work.

A Gilbert Chemistry set teaches you rudimentary inorganic chemstry.

If you gotta brain or read books it teaches you other things.

In that Gibert Chemistry set is a chemical called Copper Sulfate (you can probably even do this with common table salt, which is also a metal).

In that kit is both a Copper Strip and a Zinc Strip.

You cut the Zinc Strip in half, dissolve a fair amount of Copper Sulfate into a small glass of water, get a 9Volt radio battery and the battery leads from Radio Shack, along with some Aligator clips. Attack one battery lead to one Zinc strip, the other battery lead to the other Zinc strip, submerge them both half way acoss the glass from each other and wait a minute.

Pull the strips out and you learn about ELECTROPLATING copper onto the shiny Zinc.

Now, this process is used to make CDs DVDs, Phon Records and Gold Plated Jewlery.

It's a process by which electrons from the battery go into the strips, flow from one direction to another through the liquid that is laced with conductive Copper and the copper is bound to the Zinc on one side of the glass by eletromotive force.

This all comes out of a $50 chemistry set designed for Children 9-12

The kit includes Litmus Paper, PH Paper.

Then it's just a matter of reading. You read about Sulpher, for example and find out what it is, where it comes from (that's Geology and Geography) how it is used, what it's value is (that's Economics).

You don't generally do this kind of work level until College.

The College professors FORCE you to do this or they flunk you out of schools.

High School and Middle School doesn't do this. They just ROTE you, make you memorize things.

College forces you to find out about everything.

I'm a old kid who got unschooled and schooled and I learned more unschooling with a Gilbert Chemistry set, a Meterology set, a micrscope, a telescope, some books and a desire to learn.

That last part is where lots of kids fail. The desire to learn part. Can't be taught. You gotta have it in you.

You either have it or you don't.

I got published for the first time at 16 in Sky and Telescope for my lunar eclipse observations.

Answer 6

Omg...we're starting very young with questioning every thing they are told, they see and they read. In addition, I know that my husband and I are very careful to answer every "Why" question truthfully as we can, if we don't know the answer we state that honestly and look it up. We encourage even our littles to look things up on the computer.

I don't know any homeschoolers like your yoga woman, critical thinking and logic is part of an open world in which children are allowed to discuss and hold opinions...although you want to talk about bad science? Go read the parenting section and see some of the pregnancy questions being asked by teens and adults both. That will shock and amaze you, and guarantee that most of those are public schoolers.

I will say that there are plenty of people who will brainwash their children, regardless of where they are schooled. I've even had to discuss this with my children's teachers when they were in public school. It's fast and easy to throw something out, but having to undo the damage a trusting child takes from a thoughtless adult can take a lot of work. I still remember being outraged in kindergarden when my teacher told the class that babies come from cabbage patches. Why...my mother had just HAD a baby, and I knew right where they came from! That I told the truth earned me a trip to the principal's office.

Answer 7

I was an English major, science is not my strong point. At home it is "science light," we do projects on random topics such as the solar system, weather, ocean mammals, etc. We watch documentaries, or children's science shows like Magic School Bus or Bill Nye the Science Guy episodes, do little kitchen chemistry experiments.

Their more serious science studies come from our homeschool co-op, which offers a lot of science classes-- biology, chemistry, oceanography, one parent is even teaching embryology this year, the kids are going to be raising eggs to hatch into baby chicks which will eventually be donated to approved farms by the 4H club.

Even if one doesn't have a great co-op to take part in, there are usually great classes at museums, botanic gardens, science centers, etc. And of course a parent can always just purchase a good curriculum and materials to work with at home if they are so inclined.

Answer 8

First, may I point out that the lack of the ability to use "critical thinking" is not something that belongs to homeschoolers. This is a human trait and is across the board.
I'm going to assume this person did not come up with this idea on her own, which means she had to read it somewhere. A yahoo search pulls up many many pages on the technique you described, the main source being Indian/Hindu, which means it could be a religious thing for her.
But, many, many people believe in the healing powers of yoga, and not all are Hindu. That is not exclusive to homeschooling either.
I don't believe most of what those websites say. But if you broaden your search out a bit, you will find literally millions of webpages that deal with yoga as a preventative in heart conditions. Many others talk about the difference in heart attack symptoms between men and women and how dietary changes, lifestyle changes and stress reducers, including yoga, can actually slow downstop a slow onset of symptoms for women. Some of the top hospitals in the country have yoga classes for post heart attack patients which has expanded to symptom management classes for those that report symptoms.

I say all that to illustrate how my family handles "real" science.
We do not immediately dismiss what we hear. We look at the source of the claim, evaluate it, look at other sources, compare it to "experts" research alternative topics, work through the scientific process and come to a conclusion.
If, instead of judging this person as a "homeschool nutbar" and dismissing her words, you researched it (I spent a whopping ten minutes pulling the above information) you would've found this person probably does use yoga as a religious practice, and probably derives much of her information from sources in India, just to name one. A further search would've revealed there is some validity of the use of yoga in pre and post heart attack patients.
Now, how do we "teach" science.
We use the best materials available and we participate in co-ops for upper level sciences that require labs.
We do the same things the public schools do, only we allow our students to really delve in to something and encourage them to look at ALL sides of something, not just the idea presented in a textbook.
We also utilize virtual labs and TONS of research.
Sad to say, many public school science students just learn enough to pass a class.
That is one reason the US is declining in scientific excellence.
Thankfully, we have options, like homeschooling, to bring scientfic excellence back to the forefront in this country.

Answer 9

Well, what is really sad, at least in the U.S., is the fact that your child is likely to get a similar poor education in science or mathematics IN SCHOOL. 86 percent of K-12 math teachers in our country do not have a mathematics degree or background. A similarly high percentage of science teachers simply graduate from an "Ed" school with a degree in teaching but no particular background in science; they go to their new school and are frequently assigned to teach science although they know little or nothing about science. So home schooling is not the only problem.

We ALL need to exercise critical thinking, including asking questions about the curriculum and instruction whether at home or in the classroom.

Answer 10

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