Education | Nobel laureaute gives talk on enhancing effectiveness of science education

Carl Edwin Wieman

Nobel laureate Carl Edwin Wieman gave a lecture on Tuesday titled ‘Taking a Scientific Approach to Science Education’ in the auditorium of the University of Macau’s Wu Yee Sun Library after he was conferred the Doctor of Science honoris causa in physics.

In his talk, Wiemen stated that it is imperative to provide high-quality science education for all students, highlighting that the goal of a scientific education should be to help students “think like a scientist, rather than making them become scientists.”

In this vein, Weiman emphasized that the mission of scientific education is to assist students in making better decisions and choices.

He mentioned that students need to be able to develop a “mental organizational framework,” in which scientific concepts and selection criteria are clearly established. Such a framework can help students distinguish between problems that need to be solved and those that are irrelevant.

Questioned by the Times about what current difficulties the science field is facing in regards to teaching methods, Wiemen said, “the challenges are mostly just historical and tradition.”

“We’re trying to change the basic culture and historical perspective and that always takes a long time even when you’ve got really good research.”

During his talk, the scholar presented research conducted by his group which demonstrates that not all traditional methods of teaching are effective.

“You have [to get] them [students] thinking, practicing and giving targeted feedback to help them improve,” he added.

UM rector Wei Zhao mentioned in his opening speech that Wieman is a visionary scientist who has initiated groundbreaking research projects, having started many programs over the past decades to improve the effectiveness of science education.

The rector noted that the talk is essential for university students to learn how to study with a scientific mindset.

Teachers and students from local secondary schools also attended the talk.

Wieman served as the associate director for science of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy and is the chair of the Board on Science Education in the National Academy of Sciences, in addition to being the founder and chairman of PhET scientific simulation program.

The program provides an extensive simulation package in order to improve the way that physics, chemistry, math, biology and earth science are being taught in educational institutions.

Yesterday, the scholar also participated in an international academic symposium titled ‘STEM Education Mini-Symposium: Building a New Culture for STEM Education in Asia’, at the university’s Anthony Lau Building.

Experts and scholars from the United States, Singapore, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau conducted an in-depth discussion on STEM education.  LV