Paul Cottle who has been a champion in the fight for science education in the state of Florida has a excellent editorial in the “American Physical Society Forum”Â
Paul points out “The shortcomings of the states’ science standards were highlighted by comparisons like TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), which showed U.S. students being outperformed by students from Singapore and Denmark. A comparison between the first generation science standards from my home state of Florida (implemented in 1996) and those from Singapore and Denmark reveals that the lists of “benchmarks†from these two nations are much shorter than in Florida’s 1996 standards. This allowed teachers from Singapore and Denmark to focus on inquiry-driven lessons that build understanding instead of requiring mass memorization of facts.”
The Florida Citizens for Science would also like to thank Paul for his encouraging comments directed to the work our organization has done to further science education in our state. He wrote “I have also been fortunate to associate with the members of the Florida Citizens for Science, a group formed to defend evolution education in our state. The physics community has much to learn from their passion and commitment.”
Paul Cottle (mailto:cottle@nucmar.physics.fsu.edu) is a Professor of Physics at Florida State University and the Chair-Elect of the Southeastern Section of the APS. In 2002 SESAPS awarded him the George Pegram Medal for Excellence in Education.
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