Something Special for Teachers

Teaching is not only hard work, but it is an activity that demands imagination, creativity, and flexibility. In most professions, individuals see the maturing fruits of their labors develop, and can enjoy the satisfaction that comes at the end of a job well done. But in many instances, the all-to-often unsung success of teachers, the way they shape and affect their students' lives, may never be known; teachers must just have faith that there is long-term value in what they do. One hundred thirteen individuals, including me, confirm that in a new book, Celebrities Remember Their Favorite Teachers, (click here), reminding us all of the impact that teachers make in every walk of life.

For J. Marvin Herndon's contribution to the book, click here.

Science teachers today face a truly difficult problem. Textbooks rarely, if ever, teach about how to make scientific discoveries. Instead they teach "science facts" that may not even be facts at all. The regrettable consequence of that trivialization is that students miss out on the excitement and adventure which is a natural part of scientific discovery. This may leave students uninterested and ill equipped for a future in science. Below, I present three abstracts, with links to the complete articles, that are intended to give science teachers some idea of what science is all about. They are just a beginning.

Teaching Earth Dynamics: What’s Wrong with Plate Tectonics Theory?

Textbooks frequently extol plate tectonics theory without questioning what might be wrong with the theory or without discussing a competitive theory. How can students be taught to challenge popular ideas when they are only presented a one-sided view? In a just a few pages, I describe more than a century of geodynamic ideas. I review what is wrong with plate tectonics theory and with Earth expansion theory, and describe my new Whole-Earth Decompression Dynamics Theory, which unifies the two previous, dominant theories in a self-consistent manner. Along the way, I disclose details of what real science is all about, details all too often absent in textbooks and classroom discussions. In these few pages, I only touch on highlights and just part the curtain a bit so that teachers might glimpse ways to bring to their students some of the richness and excitement of discovery that becomes evident when one begins to question prevailing, currently popular perceptions of our world. (for full article, click here)

Teaching About Nature’s Nuclear Reactors

Naturally occurring nuclear reactors existed in uranium deposits on Earth long before Enrico Fermi built the first man-made nuclear reactor beneath Staggs Field in 1942. In the story of their discovery, there are important lessons to be learned about scientific inquiry and scientific discovery. Now, there is evidence to suggest that the Earth’s magnetic field and Jupiter’s atmospheric turbulence are driven by planetary-scale nuclear reactors. The subject of planetocentric nuclear fission reactors can be a jumping off point for stimulating classroom discussions about the nature and implications of planetary energy sources and about the geomagnetic field. But more importantly, the subject can help to bring into focus the importance of discussing, debating, and challenging current thinking in a variety of areas. (for full article, click here)

Scientific Basis of Knowledge on Earth’s Composition

I present from a historical perspective a logical progression of understanding related to the composition of the deep interior of the Earth that comes from fundamental discoveries and from discoveries of fundamental quantitative relationships in nature. By following step by step the reasoning from that understanding, one might begin to appreciate what is not yet known that pertains to recent interest in georeactor-produced antineutrinos and also what should be investigated to further advance that understanding. (for full article, click here) For more about Earth, please go to http://UnderstandEarth.com .