Jeff Goldstein on Reigniting Our Enthusiasm for Science @ NSTA 2011 (Video)
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Go to My Saved Content.March 10, 2011 - National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference in San Francisco, CA
This is just my opinion, but I think the world would be significantly better if scientists were treated like rock stars -- with the press stalking their every move and kids dreaming of becoming physicists, astronomers, biologists, or chemists someday.
To get a little closer to that reality, the world of science might consider electing Jeff Goldstein to be a goodwill ambassador. The astrophysicist and director of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) opened the NSTA with a passionate keynote titled, "Science -- It's Not a Book of Knowledge...It's a Journey." He got a standing ovation (and at least one of us teary-eyed). Why? For starters, he made this bold statement: Science teachers are the future of this nation.
He talked about the "sacred bond" that we as educators, parents, and a community have with past generations and future generations through science -- and that we are charged with the responsibility of nurturing, and not squashing, a child's curiosity and joy for exploration. Science education, he says, is just a method for organizing our curiosity.
He also reminded us of the powerful and emotional response we can have to the world of science. That a technological event like the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk could lead to the first moon landing in a span of just 66 years, or one generation, because it inspired a kid to dream.
I wasn't alone in being inspired by Goldstein's speech. John D. Boswell of Symphony of Science took some of the clips from the keynote and remixed them into this inspirational music video:
You can read highlights of his keynote address and get links to some of his favorite resources here:http://blogontheuniverse.org/nsta/