What should a 20-year vision for science and mathematics education
look like?
Today the Royal Society launches a report proposing major reforms of
science and mathematics education to give students the breadth needed
to face the challenges of the 21st century
今天，英國皇家學會推出的一份報告提出科學和數學教育的重大改革，提供學生面對21世
紀的挑戰所需要的廣度
Young visitors at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2012. Photograph:
2012年在英國皇家學會夏季科學展覽的青年訪客 圖片來源：英國皇家學會/ Flickr的
Royal Society/Flickr Athene Donald Thursday 26 June 2014 09.06 BST
How do you know what you want to do with your life at 16? In truth very many children have
no idea. Since they are too often offered little insight into what the world of work looks like,
how can they know? In England we have a school careers advisory system that is, at best,
woefully underfunded and yet we expect children to be able to make sensible selections of
future courses.
你在16歲時如何知道未來你想要過甚麼生活呢？事實上很多孩子不知道。因為他們往往被
提供去了解世界的工作是什麼樣子的一點見識，這樣他們怎麼能知道呢？在英國，我們有
一套學校職業顧問系統，是最好的，可令人難過的是資金嚴重不足，但我們希望孩子們能
夠對未來課題作出明智的選擇。
However hackneyed the Two Cultures phrase may seem, there is still too much truth lurking
behind it in the English school system where children often find themselves required to opt
either for science or arts/humanities/social sciences subjects. If they try to keep a bit of both
they may then find themselves ill-qualified – and therefore unlikely to be accepted – for whatever
courses they want to take next; or school timetabling may simply rule out an eclectic mix of
subjects.
然而這兩種文化措詞陳腐似乎可見，孩子經常會發現，依本身需選擇無論是科學還是藝術
/人文/社會科學學科，太多的真相潛伏在英國學校制度背後。如果他們試圖保持兩者兼而有之，
他們可能發現會無能為力 - 因此不太可能被接受 - 無論下一次他們要選擇什麼課程;或學校時
間表可能只是排除折衷混合的科目。
Today the Royal Society is publishing its major new report " Vision for Science and
Mathematics Education" covering the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths)
arena. (Disclosure: I am a member of the committee involved in its preparation.) One
of the report’s key recommendations is that A-levels should be replaced by "
baccalaureate-style frameworks that encompass vocational and academic learning
across a broad range of subjects to age 18".
今天，英國皇家學會將發布其新的“展望科學和數學教育”報告涵蓋 STEM
（科學，技術，工程和數學）的場域。 （揭露：我是參與編寫委員會的成員。）
其中一個報告中的主要建議是，A-levels 課程應被“對18歲青年
This is not the first time the Royal Society has come out in favour of a broad curriculum
for 16-18 year olds: a similar recommendation was made in a report launched in
February 2011. This report stated "In undertaking reforms to A-level … the Department
for Education (DoE) should consider modifying their structure to enable students to study
a wider range and increased number of subjects." In all the subsequent reforms coming
out of the DoE, this is not what has happened. The problem of the narrowness of the
curriculum for post-16 year olds in England remains. Although the other parts of the UK
have slightly different systems, the general principle behind the recommendations in the
report will be equally applicable.
英國皇家學會已不是第一次透露為16-18歲青年支持各式廣泛的課程：一個類似的
建議是在2011年2月推出的一份報告。該報告指出，“在事業以A級改革，...教育
部（DOE）應該考慮修改它們的結構，讓學生學習更廣泛的範圍並增加科目的數量。
“以及教育部後續的所有改革，這不是所有發生的事。在英國16歲後的青年課程狹窄的
問題仍然存在。儘管英國的其他部分有略不同的系統，在報告中建議的一般原則將同
樣適用。
Currently only 13% of our nation's children take any form of mathematics after GCSE,
a lower figure than in any other developed nation. The lack of confidence in numeracy
skills this causes is a major concern for employers and government alike. Measures
are now being introduced to redress this to some degree, with new post-16 qualifications
being developed. However, such courses are not likely to be mandatory and only time
will tell whether they make any significant impact.
目前，我國家的孩子只有13％在GCSE之後採取任何形式的數理，比其他任何發展
國家的數字較低。算術技能的信心缺乏導致雇主和政府都關注此問題。措施目前
正在引進來對某些學位進行糾正，並正在開發16歲後青年新的資格。然而，這樣的課程
不太可能是強制性的，只有時間才能告訴我們是否作出任何顯著影響。
What the Royal Society is calling for is much more sweeping in scope.
It is recommending not only that all children should continue with maths to 18, but that
they should also continue to learn some science to that age. The proposal is not to
pursue the traditional form of science teaching, separated out into the three key
subjects of physics, chemistry and biology, but rather to introduce broader and more
relevant courses for the citizens of tomorrow, that might also include elements of
computing, design and technology as well as "pure" science. Nor is it aimed at instructing
children in specific details (such as the Second Law of Thermodynamics, to invoke CP
Snow's 1959 lecture again), but to help them feel more confident in the decisions they
may need to make about family health and nutrition or environmental concerns, for instance. Furthermore, the Royal Society's recommendations apply not only to those on a formal
academic track, but also to those already in work or studying for vocational qualifications.
皇家學會呼籲的是範圍應更具全面性。它建議不僅所有的孩子應繼續數學學習至18歲，
但他們也應該繼續學習一些科學到那時。該建議不追求科學教學的傳統形式，將其分為
物理，化學和生物這三個重點學科，而是為明日公民引進更廣泛和更相關的課程，這可
能還包括計算元素設計和技術，以及“純”科學。也不是旨在指導孩子具體的細節
（如熱力學第二定律，再次調用CP斯諾的1959年演講），而是當他們可能需要作出例如
關於家庭健康和營養或環境關注決定，讓他們感受到更多的信心。此外，
英國皇家學會的建議不僅適用於那些正式的學術軌道，同時也對那些已經在工作或
職業資格的研習。
Equally importantly, the proposal envisages that those students committed to STEM should also broaden their studies to embrace classes in arts/humanities/social sciences, something that discussions with stakeholders such as Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) have shown to be welcome. There may need to be significant changes in undergraduate courses for the sector if incoming students have less detailed, subject-specific knowledge, but the discussions to date demonstrate that this is not regarded as a major problem by HEIs.
同樣重要的是，該提案設想，那些學生致力於STEM也應該拓寬自己的研究，以擁抱諸如類藝術/人文/社會科學，與一些利益關係者，如高等教育機構（高校）的討論已經證明是受歡迎的。有可能需要為分區在大學課程做顯著的變化，如果進入的學生沒有那麼細緻，具體學科知識，但可討論以註明展示，則這不被視為高校的一大難題。
Empowered citizens need to feel confident in their mathematics and science knowledge whatever career they end up in and the Vision report is in part aiming to address this need. But equally, the report strongly recommends that all children, from primary school upwards, should have the opportunity to learn about what qualifications in science and maths can lead to. Nationally we need to do a better job of exposing all children to the world of work and to move on from a situation where too many think these subjects are "hard" and only suitable for the most able students; or that scientists are mostly white, male and middle-class as the evidence cited in the report suggests they currently do. Science needs to be inclusive and to be seen as such.
無論最終他們是什麼職業，授權公民需要在自己的數學和科學知識有信心，展望報告部分旨在滿足這一需求。但同樣，該報告強烈建議所有的孩子，從小學向上，應該有機會了解什麼樣的科學和數學的資格可達到目的。在全國范圍內，我們需要更好的工作以向所有兒童揭露世界的工作和從過多設想這些科目是“困難”的狀況下前進，只要適合大多數學生能夠即可; 或者說科學家大多是白人，男性，中產階級作為在報告中引用的證據建議他們目前正做的。科學需要具有包容性，也可以看作是這樣的。
Today, many children never get to meet a scientist or engineer first-hand or get any insight into their working life. The Vision report calls for careers awareness to be introduced starting at primary school, giving children exposure to role models such as professional scientists, engineers and technologists. This should continue at secondary school where provision of careers information and guidance should form an essential part of the school week. Awareness of an engineer's job should not rely on there being a family member in some part or other of the profession. Information about how maths can benefit careers that aren’t obviously labelled "mathematics" – careers which might range from marketing to fashion via the gaming industry – should be part of the school day, not something that children might encounter accidentally outside school.
如今，很多孩子從來沒有得到獲見第一手科學家或工程師或得到任何洞察他們的工作生活。遠前景報告呼籲職業意識要在小學開始推行，給孩子們接觸到的榜樣，如專業的科學家，工程師和技術人員。這應繼續在中學那裡提供職業信息和指導，應成為學校本週的重要組成部分。一個工程師工作的認識不應該依賴一個家庭成員的某些部分或其他的專業。信息如數學如何對事業可以受益未明顯標有“數學運算”職業生涯可能範圍由遊戲行業到營銷時尚 - - 應該是上學的一部分，不是讓孩子可能由校外意外遭遇。
The subjects of science and technology open doors to a huge range of jobs in many sectors where the analytical and problem-solving skills acquired are greatly valued. So, for the individual and their future employment prospects as much as for the nation's economy and prosperity we need to ensure our schooling is fit for purpose in the widest sense. I have only touched on a few of the recommendations proposed in the report; others cover the teaching profession; curricula, assessment and accountability; and education research. We hope that the report will be widely disseminated and read and that the vision we put forward will serve as a stimulus to policy-makers, teachers and parents alike to reconsider the STEM provision in our schools.
科學和技術在很多部分對巨大的工作範圍開放大門，其中在分析和解決問題的能力有很大價值。因此，對個人和他們未來的就業前景不亞於對國家的經濟和繁榮，我們需要確保我們的學校教育是適合的目的，在最廣泛的意義。我只是在報告中觸及了提出幾個建議;其他人包括教師職業;課程，考核和問責制;和教育研究。我們希望，該報告將廣泛傳播和閱讀，而在我們的學校我們提出的願景將作為刺激政策的制定者，教師和家長的一致好評重新考慮STEM提供。
Athene Donald is professor of experimental physics at the University of Cambridge, a member of the Vision for Mathematics and Science Committee and the immediate past chair of the Royal Society's Education Committee. She tweets as@athenedonald.
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