Madam, – The decline in the number of students taking Leaving Cert science subjects as reported in your Editorial (August 12th), poor results and the high drop-out rates from university science courses are of serious public concern, particularly in a country that is basing its economic survival on reaping the benefits of a science based “smart economy”. The declining interest in science among students is often blamed on the extent and difficulty of the science curriculum and its general lack of relevance to everyday life. I am sure these issues are part of the problem, but we also have to look at the way we teach science in our secondary schools and universities.
Too much emphasis is placed on filling up the minds of students with endless facts largely learned by rote. Couple this with perhaps a less than enthusiastic teacher/ lecturer (and we all can remember one from our school/college days) and it’s no wonder students are turned off the subject. This stifles scientific curiosity and can make any science subject boring.
More emphasis should be placed on understanding basic principles and expanding laboratory resources, particularly at secondary level. There is nothing better than hands-on experiments in the science laboratory to fire the enthusiasm of a budding scientist for his/her subject. Similar problems exist at third level where the Government is pumping money into research laboratories, but the universities struggle to find funds to support laboratory-based science teaching at the undergraduate level.
Let’s make an effort to change the way we teach science and spark the curiosity and imagination of our young people. It will make a difference. – Yours, etc,