• Question: In an ideal world, would you have all children learning science?

    Asked by Seagilllina to Linda on 13 Jun 2016.
    • Photo: Linda Anagu

      Linda Anagu answered on 13 Jun 2016:

      Certainly not, the world will be a dull place. My husband is studied arts and that is what attracted me to him.

Comments

  • Photo: Claire

    Claire commented on :

    I think that everyone should have the opportunity to learn about science so that they can understand the basics of how we, our world and our universe work because science is happening all around us even if we don’t ‘study’ it (e.g. We all get infections!). Having the chance to study science even for a short time in school is a great way to work out whether or not it is a subject that you want to continue studying after school and, just like other subjects, whether it might inspire your future career. Missing out on experiencing science would be a real shame for any child.

    That said, I agree with Linda, I wouldn’t want everyone to have to be a scientist if they didn’t want to be! Variety is great and even within science there are lots of different areas to focus on…obviously I think parasitology and immunology are the most fascinating 😉

  • Photo: Mark

    Mark commented on :

    Learning science is part and parcel of a broad education. Many difficult questions are being answered by scientists. I agree with Claire and Linda that not everyone could or should be a scientist, but I think all children should be taught how to appreciate science so that they develop a healthy skepticism about spurious claims on how the world and everything in it works

  • Photo: Franco

    Franco commented on :

    Yes I believe that it would be important for all children to have a sound scientific education. I am not saying that all people should become scientists, that wouldn’t work. We need artists, firemen, builders, cleaners, etc. But a scientific education makes you a little less gullible as the main lesson you learn in science is to question everything, and ask for supporting evidence before making a judgment. Scientists are their own most severe critics, at least that’s how it should be. But I am not sure that the way science is taught in schools nowadays brings any of these benefits.

  • Photo: Koi

    Koi commented on :

    Hi Seagilllina,
    If I may add a comment, I would have all children learning sciences, but for the sake of understanding the scientific process (the observation, the questioning, the setting out hypothesis and ways to test the hypothesis, and the conclusion and further questions…), and not necessarily the facts and names and diagram that children have to learn and remembers for exams. People have their own interest and we need diversity of minds, but knowing how to question things and test it out (which is one of the key message in science) will help them regardless of the path of life they end up choosing.