tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402218131027936406.post830539424395898793..comments2019-06-28T03:49:55.175-04:00Comments on Coffee Break Science: Citizen ScientistsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402218131027936406.post-69343856632561317702010-04-22T21:49:19.054-04:002010-04-22T21:49:19.054-04:00This is a very important and timely topic. Self-d...This is a very important and timely topic. Self-directed learning is critical for anyone who really wants to do any thing original or inventive. Formal education can't teach you everything. But I also think that it is important to engage with others face to face and to have guidance and feedback when necessary. I think that accessibility of education is key. There are alot of great resources though like the Great Courses series and Open courseware that allow the ambitious self-learner to learn from lectures given by a professor and have access to a syllabus or recommended reading list.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402218131027936406.post-80638491365543477582010-04-13T10:36:34.052-04:002010-04-13T10:36:34.052-04:00It looks like you could subtract the word "sc...It looks like you could subtract the word "science" from the phrase "science education" in both your article and the original Nature article, and you would have more or less the same argument. That is, I think people are educating themselves outside of a formal setting on every topic imaginable. But are they learning enough? I really like your idea about teaching the fundamentals, and then allowing independent scholars to build on those core tools. But isn't that a return to a formal education? Has our system of formal education simply forgotten why it exists in the first place, that is, to allow people to be capable of independently expanding their knowledge in a useful and robust way in whatever direction they might be called?John L. Clarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11799082222127859256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1402218131027936406.post-90614046606254477732010-04-12T14:13:06.136-04:002010-04-12T14:13:06.136-04:00This is fantastic! As an instructor at a communit...This is fantastic! As an instructor at a community college, one of my primary goals is to help my students develop the skill of reading, analyzing, and applying information from a variety of sources of scientific information, including website, popular press, and more. I will use this Nature piece as a cornerstone for discussing my efforts with others and framing my approach.Emilie Clemmensnoreply@blogger.com