The article written by John H. Falk and Lynn D. Dierking asserts that there is more to be gained from out-of-school learning experiences vs. in-school learning experiences. The evidence comes from several sources, one of which finds that American students are on an equal level with the rest of the world when they are not yet old enough for school; on the other hand, as they get older Americans start to fall behind their global counterparts. It is suggested that reduced exposure to free-choice science learning experiences (FCSLE) in the school years is the cause of this trend.
Reading the article, there seems to be a strong-negative connotation associated with learning done in schools. The idea is that the public spends so little of its time in the classroom, and a smaller fraction of that learning science, that any amount of science learned in class is practically inconsequential. This is surely based on each individual’s own experiences, as I am quiet proud of the knowledge I received in high school, and am gracious for the teachers that endowed me with it. Still, I could see how many others may not have had the same experience, because the factors that lead to success in school and learning may not be present for many individuals. These are:
- An enthusiastic teacher
- A supportive family
- The proper resources for learning
- A highly motivated, disciplined student
Notice the emphasis I put on the last item, as I feel that without it, no (real) learning can be done. Also notice that I didn’t include any FCSLE, because I don’t attribute my knowledge of science to them. That is, the museums, parks, botanic gardens, aquariums, science centers, etc. It’s not that I don’t value these experiences. It’s that, as the article says, I believe that “it only supports superficial science learning.” That’s not a criticism on the FCSLE. It’s the fact that FCSLE can only provide me with qualitative information. The real quantitative knowledge; the equations and their application to the physical universe, can only be drilled into the mind with time and a well-designed problem set. I have no doubt that someone could design an FCSLE that rivals the classroom in the [concrete] knowledge that it provides, but I don’t think anyone has done it yet. However, if anyone plans to do that, I would love to be a part of it.
PS: I don’t depend on schooling for all my science learning needs. The fact is that most of the stuff I learn comes from resources that I find on the internet, which may count as an FCSLE. However, if I were to make maximum gains from these kinds of resources, I would have to invest the same kind of focus/concentration that I do when working on school work, which doesn’t really make it any different from school, does it?
