Education or brainwashing?

I am a science teacher and a leaseholder. Part of my school year consists of teaching about both energy resources and the environment. I was a bit taken aback when I received an email from our assistant superintendent that suggested we talk to our students about fracking and then gave us a lesson plan with a resource. The resource was from 2001 and completely bias against the gas companies. There was only one side of the issue presented. Then I did a little research to find out how we are teaching our children about this resource and I came across http://mrwynne.blogspot.com/2011/01/very-informative-video-on-hydra.... While I applaud the teacher's use of technology in the classroom and his innovative approach, I also found that his blog was one sided. Another site I found was http://www.thinkbeforeyoufrack.org/ that was made by teenagers in NY.

 

I believe that this one-sided approach hurts students by not allowing them to think critically about a complex subject such as fracking. There are so many variables that need to be considered when deciding whether one agrees with drilling or not. Although I have no doubt that these educators are well intentioned, I fear that they have only shown one aspect of the discussion. It is not until we look at an issue from all perspectives that we can intelligently determine our position. What a missed opportunity for these students.

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Permalink Reply by Pam S on April 7, 2011 at 1:14pm
I never said that global warming was wrong - actually I said that I believed the opposite (meaning that global warming is occurring). What I do in my classroom however is challenge my students to think for themselves using all available data. It is much more of a powerful lesson to have them look for the data and formulate their own opinions than it is to just say "this is the way it is" in a lecture format. Teaching students how to think for themselves is the goal of education while the curriculum, being science in my case, is the vehicle for the students to achieve the goal. I would appreciate it if you read my posts correctly before commenting on what you think my position is.
Permalink Reply by WVU78 on April 7, 2011 at 2:57pm

Energy in Depth

 

Geology.com

 

API

 

A few sites for some pro drilling / fracing info

Permalink Reply by Kwake on April 7, 2011 at 3:40pm

Pam- Not sure what grades you are teaching, but Pennsylvania Sea Grant just launched an online resource for high school students, where students can research potential environmental impacts and discuss their position on drilling with other schools across the region. It's being piloted this spring, but we are looking for more teachers to participate next year. If you'd like more information about it, please e-mail me.

 

KW  

Permalink Reply by Elnathan Cory on April 8, 2011 at 1:24am

Pam,

 

     There is only one side to the story in Science. It is called evidence. As a teacher you have to make sure that the only evidence allowed is or was obtained by the scientific method. That would be obtained by observation and experimentation by your students or others who have written peer reviewed papers in scientific publications. When you said there are two sides to evolution, what are you referring to, the Bible! Evolution is a scientific theory which means there is tons of evidence to show how it works and what has happened in the past. The only people (not real scientists) trying to disprove this are religious mental cases. They have no evidence for anything else. As far as global warming is concerned it is fact. Temperature sensors around the globe have been measuring it for many years as well as ice core samples going back tens of thousands of years. There is no other side of the truth. Presenting the biblical version of life on this planet is not science it is religion. So when you say both sides of the story of evolution you are not teaching science. Likewise allowing some person to claim his or her water well is contaminated by Marcellus fracking is not science. Where is the proof I ask! Always ask for the scientific evidence. The media that presents two sides to the story is presenting half lies! 

 

Elnathan

Permalink Reply by Pam S on April 8, 2011 at 3:11am

You make my point exactly! When discussing evolution, there is no scientific evidence for creationism. The theory of creationism and the existance of God cannot be proven therefore it is not science. Students find that out for themselves. One must be careful however not to alienate students from their belief systems. Many students believe in the idea of creationism. Because of the separation of church and state I do not go into creationism in any depth nor do I think it is my place as a science teacher to get into issues of faith. That is something that students need to discuss with their families. What I can do is let them know about the scientific evidence of evolution (yes, using primary sources) and then let them decide for themselves what thier beliefs are. As I said in a previous post, my goal is to teach students to think for themselves. You say that the only evidence "allowed" is through the scientific method and I understand your point. The issue is that students are being bombarded with input from many other areas so it is paramount to teach them to sift through all of the other stuff to reach a conclusion. I am very aware that religion is not science and I think that distinction is important. I am also aware that faith is an important aspect of people's lives so to try to discount that flatout by saying that scientific evidence of evolution should be the only thing considered is not something that I will do.

Thanks for a thoughtful reply. Hope this clears up my position.

Permalink Reply by craig on April 23, 2011 at 7:07am

Science and scientific evidence only go hand in hand in relation to time. Scientific evidence changes all the time,  as time goes on...and that IS a fact.  So facts actually change and that is where you are wrong about a lot of your thoughts. 

This decade it is global warming by scientific facts, in the sixties/seventies it was the coming ice age by scientific facts. Get over it, the earth is a living breathing entity which we have no real control over.

The only thing I have against saying that evolution in and of itself is responsible for who we are today is the simple fact that evolution can not account for all the sudden changes in the human condition. For tens of thousands of years no real biological/societal changes, then bang all sorts of so called evolutionary changes, then tens of thousands more years than changes again. Evolution definately is on the march all over our earth, however evolutionary scientists have yet to explain all the long gaps where humans were stagnate in their development. 

You may have evolved from a monkey, but I didn't....there is something else at work, is it a God or something else besides evolution? Call me crazy, fine, but we will all see the truth some day. I pity those that cast off their religion for no good reason except that the 'consensus' is that evolution is the answer. 

Permalink Reply by Pam S on April 23, 2011 at 9:02am

Who has cast off religion?? There is no scientific evidence for creationism nor should there be. That is a matter of faith. That is what having faith is- knowing Him to be the creator even without evidence. Also, I agree with you that science facts are always changing. We used to think that the sun revolved around the earth. Now we know that to be false. That is why it is so important for students to learn to think for themselves. That was the purpose of my post to begin with. I am amazed at the amount of people who are getting thier panties in a knot because I am suggesting that children should look at all sides of an issue rather than just accepting things as fact - particularly when it comes to the media. Its no wonder our educational system is so messed up. Whenever someone tries to actually teach the kids how to be independant thinkers, they need to walk on eggshells so that they don't ruffle any sensitive feathers. Its really quite sad.

 

Permalink Reply by Ann Ticopa on April 23, 2011 at 12:15pm

But are 5th graders (your example) really equipped to be "independent thinkers"?  Aren't they mostly going to echo what they hear in their home and community (Brooklyn, NY)?  The NYT isn't what it used to be, but is still above their grade level. 

This is the website that the teacher assigned as an option:

"Natural Gas Drilling in Marcellus Shale

DEP is committed to protecting New York City’s water supply from natural gas drilling, and invites visitors to explore the resources available below to become better informed on the issue."

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/news/natural_gas_drilling.shtml 

Permalink Reply by Pam S on April 24, 2011 at 12:42am

I would agree that 5th graders are not at the point where they are independent. That is why it is so critical for teachers to guide them to both sides of the issue-to begin their journey towards independence. In 5th grade, students will not understand all of the ins and outs of the issue. Heck, I don't understand it all. But they can be exposed to the connectedness between economics, the environment, and politics. That doesn't mean that they will be able to internalize it at this point. It does mean that maybe they will begin to look at an issue from more of a global perspective rather than just mimic what is being told to them.

Thank you for your post. You bring up a valid point. Even though you might not necessarily agree with me, you were completely respectful in your comments. I truly appreciate that.

Permalink Reply by Pam S on April 8, 2011 at 2:51am
Would love it! I will email you. Thanks
Permalink Reply by Sherry on April 9, 2011 at 3:20pm

I'd like to add another reference site to WVU78: http://www.bfenvironmental.com/education-wkshp.php.  At the bottom of their page are links to O&G company lists of chemicals (and actually many of their sites have informational and educational data as well, graphs and the like) and some nicely balanced, science-based studies on many of the more controversial subjects accompanying shale drilling.  I also want to include the most balanced report I have come across so far: http://www.tudorpickering.com/pdfs/TPH.Fracturing.Report.7-8-10.pdf, Frac Attack: Risks, Hype,
and Financial Reality of Hydraulic Fracturing by Tudor-Pickering a somewhat long read, but written in easy-to-understand language.

Kudos, Pam, for a job well done - it's refreshing to know there are still teachers who value nurturing critical thinking skills. 

Permalink Reply by KSM on April 20, 2011 at 12:44pm
if only this many people would scream for an all-sides-of-the-equation education on sex, what a wonderful world this would be.  it occurs to me that it's typically the same person who screams about one-sided alarmism in about this topic are also the people who think only abstinence should be taught in schools and that gay marriage is the mark of doom in our society.  i know what's going to doom society -- it'll be our relentless greed over what is truly in our best interests as humans living on a planet with finite resources.   i blame it on our big brains and thumbs -- we're too smart for our own good.  i'll let you determine whether God or natural selection allowed that to be the case.  either way, we'll be the deliverer of our own demise.

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