So;in;the;end,;if;you;want;to;make
sure your children learn and remember
something well, present it in the context
of;a;controversy.;But;wait;a;minute!;In
most controversies, there is a side that
is right and a side that is wrong. Do we
really want to expose our children to
the arguments that are wrong? Surpris-ingly,;the;answer;is,;“Yes!”;Studies;show
that presenting topics in the setting of a
controversy produces the most learning
gains, even when the students are exposed
to incorrect ideas!
Consider, for example, our solar system. Most students are taught that ancient people believed the earth was at the
center of the universe. The sun, planets,
and stars orbited around the earth. However, as more and more observations
were made, scientists learned that the
earth-centered view was wrong, and they
eventually switched to a sun-centered
view, which led to our current understanding of the solar system.
Have you ever spent time actually investigating the controversy? Why did so
many scientists back then cling to the
idea of an earth-centered universe despite evidence to the contrary? The standard answer is that they were clinging to
a religious view. The actual facts, however, are much more interesting. Those
who believed in an earth-centered view
had;scientific;arguments;against;the;sun-centered view. Those who believed in the
sun-centered;view;shot;back;with;scien-tific;arguments;of;their;own.;If;your;stu-dents spend some time learning the actual arguments both sides used, they will
learn a lot about how planets move in the
night;sky;and;how;we;measure;the;dis-tance to objects in space. Even though we
know;the;earth-centered;view;is;wrong,
exposing your children to the arguments
of those who believed it will help them
learn and remember astronomy better.
So don’t be afraid of controversy in
your home education. Embrace it! Creation versus evolution, the age of the
earth, vaccinations, global warming, and
stem cells are just a few of the many controversies that exist within the realm of
science. When what you are learning in
science class relates to one of these issues,
bring up the debate and encourage your
students to explore it.
Even though I am focusing on sci-
ence education, what I am saying can be
applied to other subjects. The study of
history is filled with controversy. For
example, many home educators use time-
lines as an aid in history class. Do you
know;how;much;controversy;exists;re-
garding timelines and the ancient world?
When, for example, was the nation of
Egypt;founded?;Historians;don’t;agree.
Depending on whose account you read,
you;will;find;a;variety;of;dates,;includ-
ing;10,000;BC,;5,000;BC,;3, 100;BC,;and
2, 100;BC.;Each;historian;has;arguments
to;back;up;his;or;her;claims.;I;guarantee
that if you explore this controversy with
your children, they will learn and remember a lot more about the founding
of Egypt.
Now, of course, not all subjects can be
explored in the context of controversy.
There isn’t a lot of controversy about
balancing chemical equations, solving
algebra problems, or learning the state
capitals.;I;also;don’t;think;it’s;valuable;to
artificially;make;up;a;debate;just;so;you
can present something in the setting of
a;controversy.;However,;I;do;think;it;is
valuable;to;be;on;the;lookout;for;top-
ics your children are learning that relate
to;a;controversy.;When;you;find;such;a
topic, stop and spend some time on the
debate.;You;might;end;up;having;to;skip
a lesson or two in your planned cur-
riculum,;but;I;think;the;benefits;your
children;receive;from;analyzing;the;con-
troversy;will;more;than;make;up;for;a
couple;of;skipped;lessons!
Dr. Jay L. Wile holds an earned Ph.D. in
nuclear chemistry and a B.S. in chemistry,
both from the University of Rochester. He
has won several awards for excellence in
teaching and is best known for his “
Exploring Creation With...” series of junior
high and high school science textbooks. His
latest book, Science in the Beginning,
is a hands-on elementary science course
that begins a series of books which teach
elementary science in a historical frame-work. Dr. Wile and his wife of more than
25 years, Kathleen, homeschooled their
daughter, Dawn, from the time they adopted her until she graduated high school.
Dawn is a Butler University graduate and
is currently a long-haul trucker with her
husband, James. You can visit Dr. Wile on
the web at www.drwile.com.
Endnote:
1.;Science 23;April;2010: Vol.;328 no.;5977 pp.;463-
466.
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
participated in the
activities involving
argumentation were the
ones who best learned
and remembered the
material in the lesson.
