“Why do I have to learn this?” (Synopsis) [Starts With A Bang]

“The scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it, and he delights in it because it is beautiful.” –Henri Poincare

It’s the start of another school year, and that means literally tens of millions of students returning to school. While there are a few of them genuinely looking forward to each and every one of the challenges that the upcoming year has to offer, the vast majority are excited about a handful of subjects at most, with a great many actually dreading the upcoming year.

Image credit: jamtoons, via iStockPhoto and Getty Images, at http://ift.tt/1Kaiwh3.

Math often gets the most grief as a subject, with students asking questions like, “when will I ever need to know this,” “why can’t I just use a calculator,” or “I’m not going to be a mathematician, so why should I even care?”

While there are many good arguments out there, there’s one that really takes the cake above and beyond all others.

Image credit: © 2015 The Sherkow Center for Child Development and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

You need to wind up with the mind you want. Go read the whole thing, and see if you agree!

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1K8t1x4

“The scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it, and he delights in it because it is beautiful.” –Henri Poincare

It’s the start of another school year, and that means literally tens of millions of students returning to school. While there are a few of them genuinely looking forward to each and every one of the challenges that the upcoming year has to offer, the vast majority are excited about a handful of subjects at most, with a great many actually dreading the upcoming year.

Image credit: jamtoons, via iStockPhoto and Getty Images, at http://ift.tt/1Kaiwh3.

Math often gets the most grief as a subject, with students asking questions like, “when will I ever need to know this,” “why can’t I just use a calculator,” or “I’m not going to be a mathematician, so why should I even care?”

While there are many good arguments out there, there’s one that really takes the cake above and beyond all others.

Image credit: © 2015 The Sherkow Center for Child Development and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

You need to wind up with the mind you want. Go read the whole thing, and see if you agree!

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1K8t1x4