The Science of Teaching Science

I read an article (Syd Morn Herald 17 Aug) this morning about the declining numbers of people seeking a career in science. There is a strong belief that this has a lot to do with how science is being taught at secondary school, which seems a reasonable place to start looking for answers. One particular point that was drawn upon in the article, was that for many people, the decision to get into science is often the result of an individual teacher who has inspired some sort of interest in the student, or a particular event that occurred in childhood. This, I found interesting, and upon deeper reflection of my own decision to get into science, seems to ring true. Of course, I am not a chemist, or a biologist, or a physicist, which I suppose are the "pillars" of science education at secondary school, but I am a computer scientist, which certainly falls under the science umbrella, and I can link my choice of discipline directly to quite specific secondary school experiences.

In year 7 and 8, I hated science - not because I found science itself repulsive, but mainly because of the way it was taught, and my dislike of the teachers delivering the classes. They always seemed grumpy, and clearly wanted to be somewhere else. They would forever be setting mind numbing homework exercises and reading, as well as countless tests where you simply had to regurgitate the same mind numbing facts you were forced to read. In year 9, however, I was lucky enough to have a science (and home room) teacher who I believe re-ignited my interest in science. Mr Payman was a complex character to say the least. I still have deep discussions with old school friends about him, and his very personal teaching style. It is hard to explain quite what I mean here, but let's just say that in year 9, I felt like he had singled me out as something of a project for him - he often inquired about what sort of career I was looking to do, and seemed to be constantly encouraging me to go the extra mile to achieve better grades, and more generally, to keep improving. Incidentally, in addition to Mr Payman being my home room and science teacher, he was also the year 9 basketball coach, which meant I saw a hell of a lot of him! I am not sure whether other students in my class had similar experiences with him, or whether I truly was singled out, but in any case, it was a massive turning point for me.

Other teachers and university lecturers have also helped hone my interests, but that initial "science" decision certainly occurred in year 9, and I think is directly linked to Mr Payman. Of course, no teacher has the power to convert an entire class of students to careers in the subject matter being taught, and nor should they. A good teacher, however, should be able to inspire those students who have an interest that may be lurking under the surface, that would otherwise remain dormant and un-discovered. This, I can only imagine, is not possible without considerable devotion and passion to the task at hand. Ultimately, this drives home the point that quality teachers, like my year 9 teacher Mr Payman, are invaluable in helping students discover their potential in a particular field.

Obviously we need scientifically trained people who are genuinely interested and excited by science, and with good communication skills, teaching at a secondary school level. I am sure there are people just like this teaching at the moment, but how few students are privileged enough to be exposed to such people. The reasons for why such people don't choose to get into secondary school science teaching seems clear enough: pay is relatively low, and let's be honest, the status of teachers within the science community is not particularly high. I would further add that for many people interested in science, the ability to do research and be involved in some sort of science research project is also important, but generally not possible as a teacher. Teaching in itself, while undoubtedly challenging and thought provoking, is often not enough for many scientists. Also, and perhaps the greatest challenge of all, the task of actually controlling a group of hormone driven teenagers, let alone inspiring them, is a daunting one to say the least.

So in summary, I have no real solution or contribution to make here, but I would love to hear what others think. I guess it comes down to the point that if we attribute the shortage of science students to deficiencies in the quality of science teaching at secondary school, then the real problem seems to be how to inspire quality science communicators to take up a career in teaching. Perhaps this deficiency could also be addressed at a secondary school level through subjects that specifically seek to tap into a students interest in teaching?