Teaching science: we're doing it wrong | Danny Doucette | TEDxRiga

Great to see my old high school teacher giving a TED Talk.

I am a 49 year veteran science teacher. I started as university professor back in Mexico in 1975. I cannot begin to tell you how much I and my family have suffered. My thesis work was about using the scientific method to teach science. I was a star student that came to the US on a government scholarship. I have been put on leave, investigated and sometimes convicted on ON NOT KNOWING HOW TO TEACH by administrators that have no clue about how science is supposed to work. It is amazing thatI am still doing it. Just to get my credential was an odyssey.

I'm actually a physics teacher, and I've learned a lot with this video, thanks!

I'd love to have classes like that! The problem, at least in my school, is that you'd have to also train the students to learn to appreciate this kind of knowledge or science in general. I can't tell you how disencouraging my Physics and Chemistry classes are, not because of the subject itself or the teachers, but because the students just don't shut up. While a minority in the class is trying to learn something new, because of the math and numbers involved they just turn around and start talking to their friends, not minding that it is distracting.

Marx said that to change education, the educators must be educated. Many science teachers have no industry experience. Hence we end up with students studying for grades rather than know how to apply scientific principles to practical problems. Alternative assessments will not solve this problem.

I completely agree, as a science teacher this is my philosophy. Unfortunately I have had to purchase my own supplies, wash all my own glassware ( rooms did not even have a sink or water) and parents would complain that tests should have study guides with the exact page in the book the questions are from. All in all, I still did it, and the students did great on the applied science assessments....but schools and parents do not appreciate that.

here's what it's like in India. here, when you take science, Medical or engineering, you have one single test at the end of high school for college entrances. called the JEE for engineering and AIPMT for medical. it's all about the application of the things you learn. personally, I'm here in junior high school and I realise the fact that in middle school senior or when I was 15, I was SO MUCH into science. I had so much interest in modern physics. but as soon as I hit high school and turned 16, now for me it's about knowing the formula, applying it and passing that test. I feel so bad that I loved science so much and now it's like okay okay (because the inner scientist in me never dies). suicide rates in children here because of the pressure of this exam is super high. we go to school to get attendance, go to private tuition for passing school exams and go to coaching institutes to clear that test. it sucks so much but that's what we gotta do. sike

I think this is absolutely brilliant.. I think I finally understood eddy currents in the five minutes he talked about it better than the two hours my teacher spent with her presentations trying to help us understand. That speaks a lot about how much we need practical learning in class rooms.

It was a great presentation! As scientists, we need to make a better connection between the practices, the tests and the scientific method, which is the base of science and of the critical thought. Congrats!

This is a wonderful presentation about two important ideas for society: (1) how to empower every student with knowledge about the world, such that it gives them meaning & lets them be more effective better people, and (2) how can our educational institutions better assess conceptual understanding and retention of ideas/knowledge. He showed (modeled) the first. The second is a much broader topic, so he astutely did not expound. I'm hoping educators pay attention & experiment - then perhaps implement his or similar suggestions. Mr. Doucette's style, pace, subdued enthusiasm, and emotional intelligence suggest he is a very good science teacher. He demonstrated he is a very good speaker. Bravo to TEDx for such a talk!!

Really good presentation. Glad I watched.

If only the world had more teachers like him...

Thank God for people like you! I seriously question why other people (especially those with children) are not thinking like you. Keep it up bud!

His students are lucky to have him!! He's teaching them how real science and scientific thinking works! I wish he'll upload some of his classes to YouTube.

i love it so much, thanks for the videos

the beautiful truth. i love this so much

One of the best talks i've watched

Great presentation!

This is SO inspiring... thank you!

Why do we need to learn science when we can just say "You are fake news!"? Our children will be so proud of us!