(02-05-2010 12:36 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote: (02-05-2010 12:14 PM)Machiavelli Wrote: Ok let's take American history. You have 182 days to cover x amount of data. Every year that passes the contents increase by definition. So if x increases and your days of school stays constant. How do you square that round peg. In science you could teach a whole years worth of Biotechnology from the last ten years in one Bio I class.
Wrong. Much of what goes down in history every year is not of historical consequence, or is the sort of nuance only an expert on that particular subject would know.
True.
However, I have often thought about what Mach wrote. But here's why it's not such a big deal.
In terms of history:
First. Obama, GWB and even Clinton aren't really "history" yet. So you don't have to cover them to a large extent. Still, it's fair to say that the quantity of history grows each year.
Second, as GTS wrote, there is much that is not of consequence. So you don't know much about Rutherford B Hayes, Tyler, or even Polk. That's ok.
Third. As a teacher you're supposed to have the ability to discern what is important from what is superfluous.
Fourth. Let's face it, this concern is not really sound when professional educators have corrupted the system to spend so much time on "multiculturalism," "diversity," etc.
Now as to science/tech:
It is a concern, and has been for many decades. In my time in college, I spent way too much time doing titrations, instead of using instruments. This is just an example, this has been happening for decades:
Most of us couldn't start a fire from scratch.
We couldn't identify useful ore, let alone mine and smelt it.
We couldn't grow grain, and don't have a clue as to thresh, mill, or whatever it needs.
All of this is to say that there is constant turnover in education topics. The skilled educator will understand the basics, both facts and skills, that need to be taught to help students succeed. The remaining resources can be spent on the interesting, whether that's the most recent advances, or historical curiousities.