As the new science teacher, I should probably say something about why I’m here. Teaching science seemed to be the logical progression in my life. From a very young age I was always fascinated by justification. By that I mean, how do we know the things that we think we know?
As opposed to being a collection of facts, science can be a way of thinking or even a way of going about your life. Once you get to know what is ‘good evidence’ and what is ‘bad evidence’, you can start to make better and more reliable decisions in all facets of life.
This skill is becoming more and more important in today’s world. We no longer need to look hard for information about anything, but where we can become unstuck is not being able to separate the rubbish from the worthwhile information. We are carrying all the information man has ever known, in our pockets – quite literally. At any given moment of the day you are less than 10 seconds away from knowing about anything there is to be known. It’s really quite amazing when that simple fact sinks in!
In today’s world, one full to the brim with information, we need a new skill-set. We need to be able to think critically, more than ever before. It’s time to learn how to think, not what to think. Thinking scientifically is fundamental to this….more to come next time.
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