John Rudolph, a Vilas Distinguished Achievement professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the UW–Madison School of Education, recently appeared on a New Books Network podcast to discuss his new book, “Why We Teach Science (and Why We Should).”
In the book, Rudolph argues decades of misconceptions have fueled the idea that science education spurs economic growth and builds crucial everyday reasoning and problem-solving skills. After debunking these myths, he contends the American science curriculum needs to shift away from its current focus on content memorization toward a new aim of building students’ understanding of what science is, how it works, and why it’s smart to trust scientific experts.
In an interview with podcast host Morteza Hajizadeh, Rudolph discusses the need for science teaching to be less reliant on rigid technical thought and content memorization, especially given the low numbers of students entering science-related fields.
“We should be focusing on non-technical training goals,” Rudolph said. “There’s this belief that if we just teach students the facts, the theories, the concepts…that somehow that’s useful to students in their daily lives. But research shows that that’s not how people generally use information.”
Rudolph pointed out there are a large number of science-related subjects, from the global pandemic to climate change to water usage, that informed citizens need to think about.
“And the technical knowledge you learn in science classes isn’t helpful in those situations,” he said.
Rudolph argues science teaching strategies must be altered to ensure the development of critical thinking skills in children that become useful in adulthood — no matter what field they enter.
Rudolph will also speak at multiple events this summer to highlight his research. He will give the opening presidential keynote address at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching in July, as well as a keynote address to the Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities summer institute in August.
Read more about “Why We Teach Science (and Why We Should) here.