What, how and for what to teach science in the XXI century?


Prof. Dr. NESTOR VICENTE TORRES DARIAS

Univ. La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain



In a society and economy based in the knowledge education based on the memorization of facts and
procedures is no longer enough. On the contrary, in our globally and continuously technologically
updated world, we need to learn differently in order to make people capable of understanding
complex concepts, of working creatively and of generating new ideas, theories and products.
Citizens must be able to critically evaluate what they read, express themselves clearly and
understand scientific and mathematical thinking. Their training must also enable them to take
responsibility for their own learning, continuous and permanent. An analysis of the panorama of the
European educational system at large, as far as higher education is concerned, shows that profound
curricular, organizational and focus changes are required in which science and scientific thought
are presented as a way of knowing. Changes that must be informed by the results of research in the
sciences of education and neurosciences. We will review some aspects that, in light of these
considerations, should inform the what, how and for what we teach.