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posted by janrinok on Tuesday October 20 2015, @09:54PM   Printer-friendly
from the STEM-the-tide-of-science-illiteracy dept.

Richard Chirgwin at El Reg wrote a really good article.

With national action on a science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) curriculum moving slowly, the Australian State of New South Wales (NSW) is taking the plunge by suggesting STEM-targeted extensions in its High School Certificate.

Proposals have been put forward that would see physics, chemistry, and biology offered at the advanced "three-unit" level*. At the time of writing, all are only offered at the lesser "two-unit" level.

After more than a year reviewing the state's senior curriculum, the NSW Board of Studies has also proposed a pan-science topic for students who aren't seeking a scientific speciality.

The proposed Senior Science topic wants to help students "in becoming scientifically literate citizens with the means to investigate personally relevant local and global scientific issues," the brief for the proposal explains.

That would plug a gap in science education in NSW: at the moment, students have to choose a specialty (physics, chemistry, or biology) to study science at HSC-level [high school completion], which looks like a wasted effort for anyone intending to pursue the humanities at university.

That course option would also be handy for NSW if the federal government goes ahead with an idea floated by former education minister Chris Pyne that senior science should be made compulsory.

The proposals also include revisions to high-level maths topics, history, and English.

The NSW Board of Studies proposals for all subjects are here, and are open for comment until 29 November.

Bootnote: For readers beyond NSW: senior high school students in the State have to accumulate at least ten units of study; a three-unit physics course, for example, would be a significant chunk of a student's exit score, as well as helping them survive first-year university studies.


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by jdavidb on Tuesday October 20 2015, @10:00PM

    by jdavidb (5690) on Tuesday October 20 2015, @10:00PM (#252495) Homepage Journal

    Of course government moves slowly to update STEM in education, and of course bigger governments move slower than smaller ones. And if you don't trust your government not to waste money, fight crazy wars you don't believe in, punish people for crimes you don't think are crimes, etc., why would you expect them to get education right? Bravo to New South Wales, and bravo to those who take local action instead of waiting helplessly for big unreliable behemoths to do something worthwhile.

    I get up early every morning to teach my kids math before going to work. The plan is to teach them to work their way through math textbooks on their own. After that we will tackle science.

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