Mae Jemison’s Keynote
Monday, June 30th, 2003The rest of our team arrived yesterday - looking like rag dolls, I might add. That five hour flight in those cramped little seats is miserable. I even think our sack lunches at school are better than what we got on the airlines. Some yesterday had to change planes in Phoenix so that made the flight even longer. Troopers they are though cause they came straight from the airport to the key note session.
Mae Jemison’s talk was on ” Educating All Students to be Stewards of the Earth We Share.” I enjoyed her talk - she said a lot of things that I know all of us won’t agree with but she was right on target when she said we need to reflect on our accomplishments and build a strong specific vision. She went on to talk about how we truly have not made education a priority. She spoke about how our time is limited, but it has unlimited possibilities. It’s what we do with our time, our choices. We need to share ideas and different perspectives and kids need to be taught to make connections, problem solve, and be critical thinkers. She elaborated on how very important it was that people learn how to think well. They have to use their imagination and think. She talked about experiental learning and working in groups. She chairs a science camp The Earth We Share”, for students age 12-16. Students from around the globe gather to share global dilemmas.
OK, here’s the controversial statements and she knew we might object. (I can hear Pam across the states on this one.)
- No calculators before ninth grade.
- No computers before sixth grade.
I think she’s basing this on the though that students are not learning to think and problem solve and in many cases they are sat in front of computers for rote learning in which no connections to problem solving are made.
These statements you’ll probably love:
- Education takes place all the time.
- Her goal is to become the person she would want her child to be.
- The heart of science should be I think, I wonder, I understand.
- Technology should be putting understanding into some type of practical use.
- We need student to read about the environment and we need to help students think responsibly.
- Technology and science literacy is about critical thinking and problem solving.
- It is VERY importasnt that people learn how to think well…they have to use their imagination and think.
- Each and every child everywhere is a flower that needs help blooming.