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Teaching kids to question things

Not palaeo or art I'm afraid, but kind of along the lines of critical thinking. When I was a kid, I lived in the United States. I also went to elementary (primary) school there. I forgot which grade it was or what class it was in, but one day, my teacher showed a video about the possibility that the Earth could be flat and how we can perceive it to be round; i.e. explanations on why the Earth looks round from outer space when it is really flat (something to do with light bending due to gravity). I was shocked, but apparently, our teacher's aim was to try and engage the kids to question established ideas, which in and of itself is fine. However, to this day, I fail to understand how she thought it would be appropriate to teach kids to question something that is observational, and present an alternative idea that has repeatedly been falsified. Fortunately (and perhaps surprisingly), our class was smart enough, and the video was met with the appropriate scepticism. However, I now wonder how many of my classmates were affected by this video...

Understandably, my father was enraged when I told him that evening during dinner.

Comments

rockhead said…
I think what the teacher did was ok, but could have clarified at some point, the actual fact of the earth's spherical nature. I have discovered that a major theory concerning the occurrence of preserved soft-tissue is bogus. They're still teaching the wrong thing about it in university. Every 3-d formed rock and stone is petrified tissue from dinosaur feeding activity.Goggle THE SECRET LIFE of ROCKS, then my name.

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