I thought that this article was thought provoking. I knew that the United States was lacking in educational performance compared to other countries, but it surprised me to learn that younger American children actually performed better on science literacy measures compared to other countries. Another surprising fact was that hobbyists in certain fields knew more than their academic counterparts.

When I first started reading the article I found it strange that out of school knowledge could actually be more important than that learned in school. In school you learn with well-paced lessons and examples, with incremental tests. But, outside of school most people, I assumed, would just absorb information but never really find a use for it. After reading it though, my opinion changed because of the well put arguments it makes. It actually does seem more logical that children would be better motivated though direct outside of school activity, and that activation of interest can carry on through their lives, filling them with curiosity and a desire to interact and study what they find. However, I disagree with the article that a school-run out of school activity wouldn’t be as effective because it would be pedagogical. I think relating things back to the books an prove useful and make people more interested in what they learn. I went on school fieldtrips after learning about certain subjects and I feel that the learning part complemented the interactive part very well.

I also found myself agreeing with the article more because of our recent Bioblitz. I think it was a great experience out of the realm of textbooks and Powerpoint slides. At that event, previous knowledge did help, but ultimately at the end of it, everyone was on the same page and came out with the same knowledge than those who are bad at or didn’t take biology courses. Many of the people who thought it was going to be a waste of time, including me, changed our minds at the end and I think we all will be much more open to science learning and open learning events like that. Finally, I agree with the article that more funding needs to go towards free choice science learning opportunities to see how much it could help.  We can’t know it’s impact if all we do is try in school pedagogy.