Your 21st century child: Raise a lover of science

My #3 strategy to raise a happy and successful 21st century child?
Raise a lover of science.

OK, I realize I really have my work cut out for me on this one. That's because many of you 1) hated science class when you were students and 2) don't respect science as a way to understand and appreciate the beauty of the natural world and how it works.

If that sounds like you, here's the rub. It's not a news flash that many of the good jobs available to your 21st century child will be in the science and technology sectors. If your child follows in your footsteps, s/he may get left behind as our world and the job market continue to evolve in unexpected ways due to new scientific discoveries.

Truth be told, we Americans are already falling behind in this area.

Here is what the prestigious National Academy of Science has to say: "The committee is deeply concerned that the scientific and technological building blocks critical to our economic leadership are eroding at a time when many other nations are gathering strength." They made this statement for these (and other) reasons:

• We are relying more and more on foreign-born scientists: 38% of the PhD scientists and engineers in the U.S. were born abroad. In 2003, foreign students earned 59% of the engineering PhDs awarded in the U.S.
• The U.S. share of global high tech exports has dropped from 30% to 17% in the last 20 years.
• U.S. students finished 27th in a recent international mathematics test.
• 2/3 of chemistry and physics teachers in U.S. high schools did not major or have a teaching certificate in the subject. The same is true for 1/2 of the grade 5-12 math teachers (some of whom are physical education majors).

You can read the entire article and their recommendations (website below) for changing our school system. But while they lay out how we as a society should respond, they don't address what you as a parent might do to interest your kids in a career in science.

It turns out this is a critical question. Just last week, the journal Science published a study in which over 3,000 8th graders had been asked "what kind of work do you expect to be doing when you are 30 years old?" They were then followed for their career choices years later. Here's what the study found:

• 10% of the 8th graders listed science as their career choice.
• If an 8th grader had expressed an interest in a career in science, 34% of those graduating college achieved a science or engineering degree.
• If an 8th grader had not expressed an interest in a career in science (even with above average mathematics scores), 19% of those graduating college achieved such a degree.
• The study concludes that having an interest in science by the 8th grade - even more than a talent for science - often guides later career choices.

How to interest your child in science?

It really shouldn't be that hard to encourage an interest in science. After all, we are born as "little scientists" (see the wonderful book "The Scientist in the Crib" by Gopnik A, et al). In the first years, we conduct endless scientific experiments (e.g., "Hmm... What happens if I smear jelly all over this wall?" "How will Mom respond if I refuse her request to go to bed?"). That's one way we learn how to make sense of the world.

But this wonderful curiosity is often dampened by boring lessons and rote drills and parental indifference to all things science. Just as damaging, in my opinion, is an anti-scientific bias many U.S. parents seem to have. "I don't care what the scientific studies say, immunizations are bad for kids." "If a medicine is 'natural', it must be safe. I don't need scientific proof."

In the interest of full disclosure, I view scientific endeavors as one of mankind's crowning achievements. A life without appreciating the beauty and importance of scientific theories and methods and discoveries is one that misses out on a key part of modern life, one that is likely to become even more relevant and important to your child in the 21st century.

So how can you help to promote an interest in science, in general, and perhaps a career in science, in particular, for your child? Here are a few suggestions:

• There's a pretty good website on this topic: http://www.teachspace.org/scientist.html
• Watch the science channels on TV together and discuss them.
• Visit and join the science museums in your community.
• Discuss with your child how things work and why events turn out as they do.
• Teach your child about the scientific method of proving or disproving what people say is true.
• Buy your child a chemistry set, a telescope, a microscope, an ant farm, etc and play together with them.
• Children's interests are best stimulated when they associate the activities with quality time spent with a beloved parent. It's never to late for you to become a science geek!
• Be sure your child's school has an excellent science curriculum.

As usual, I'm better at laying out the challenge than the solution. I'd love to hear how you approach this with your kids!

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Articles cited:
"Career Choice: Enhanced Planning Early for Careers in Science"
Tai RH, et al. Science 26 May 2006; pp. 1143-1144

"Rising Above The Gathering Storm:
Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future."
National Academy of Sciences, 10/05
http://fermat.nap.edu/execsumm_pdf/11463

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• Raise a bilingual 21st century child
• Your 21st century child: Raise a book lover

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