It’s sad to see how are classrooms are slowly moving backwards as far as learning centers are concerned. They’ve become centers where teachers press their students to avoid using their brains. Knowledge is erroneously taught by our outdated educators by memorization instead of associating concepts. Our students are like storage silos where information is stuffed into their heads until they burst.
When I was a college professor of Business Administration at a local university in Panama City, I was startled to find out how confused the students were when I asked them questions which could not be found in a textbook. They continually asked, “Professor, can you please tell me the page number where we can find the answer to your question?” We all know that in real life questions aren’t written in a textbook; what you find are situations which need practical solutions. You have to think about different options on how to solve these situations. In other words, you have to think critically.
Studying science is an excellent way to teach our children how to think. The same holds true for mathematics and art. Every time I have an opportunity, I take “The Twisters” out to see the real world and learn, instead of watching boring trash television shows. We have the responsibility to encourage our kids to get out the couch and start exploring the world. In my dictionary, the classroom should have no walls and all questions should be encouraged. There are no stupid questions, and of course no stupid answers. Learning is all about asking questions and trying to find out the proper answers. That is how Sir Isaac Newton discovered the Universal Law of Gravitation; just to point out one classical example of intellectual curiosity.
Recently my wife and I visited Explora with Abdiel, the oldest of the “Twisters”. The place was absolutely terrific, full of scientific machines that explain basic science to young children, and adults as well. Abdiel absorbed all he could like a sponge. I could see the faces of the young children totally concentrated on the instructors listening to explanations about complicated subjects such as the gravitational laws of Newton, the formation of tornadoes, life in a tropical rainforest, the formation of sound and light waves, the characteristics of dark holes in the Universe, and how to prevent cavities, just to name a few. Even though I’ve read a lot, I learned several facts which I had never heard before.
Below are several pictures of our visit to Explora, a classroom every kid should visit to satisfy their curiosity. Here we go.
Snapshot of Abdiel, the oldest of the “Twisters” and my wife Aura, at the entrance of Explora, a center for sciences and art. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Snapshot of Abdiel and my wife Aura posing for the camera at the entrance of Explora, a learning venue to learn about science and art. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Snapshot of a young kid and his mother learning about the characteristics of dark holes in the Universe. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Snapshot of Vladimir, one of the instructors of Explora, explaining the general principles of the laws of universal gravitation discovered by Isaac Newton. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Snapshot of a site where the children are learning about the formation of tornadoes. You can see the model twister in the middle of the picture. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Snapshot of a huge model mouth with teeth at Explora to explain to the children on how to avoid cavities. They also displayed excellent videos about the proper use of toothpaste and how to brush your teeth. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Snapshot of several children playing and learning about science and art at Explora, while an instructor stands by to answer their questions. Notice how concentrated the kids are. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Snapshot of an instructor at Explora posing for the camera. Her knowledge about planets, stars, constellations, comets, moons, and other heavenly bodies was encyclopedic. She also had the patience of Job while dealing with the children. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Abdiel says goodbye to his new friend at Explorer after the show was over. A colorful map of Panama is on the background. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Excellent post, Omar. I share your feelings about the educational system here in the US as well. I, too, taught at the university level and I was reminded daily with the lack of teaching thinking versus teaching facts. Reasoning is a skill which must be taught and practiced to become good at it.
It looks like it won’t be long before Abdiel passes Aura in height. He is really growing!
jim and nena
fort worth
We have so many wonderful museums and “exploratoriums” here in Houston and Galveston. A few are designed with children in mind – some are not. But all are filled, week after week, with curious people enjoying the exhibits and learning.
The public education here increasingly is devoted to “teaching to the test” – increasing the test scores which determine school rating and teachers’ salaries. It’s an abominable system, and one reason so many more people are home-schooling. As one home-schooling mom said to me a couple of years ago, “The thing about home schooling is that you have to stay ahead of your kids. Every home-schooled child means two much smarter parents!”
Great photos, too. I love the “tornado”!
@Jim and Nena: Yes, “The Twisters” are growing very fast. Soon they will be children no more. I wish I could stop them from growing and becoming adults, and in the process losing the innocence of children. Meanwhile, we enjoy their company as much as we can.
@Linda: Writing about the deficiency of our educational systems would fill bucketfuls of electronic ink. Instead of going forward, we are going backwards and you can see it when you speak with young students here in Panama. Once, in a Miss Universe Pageant, the Panamanian representative was asked, “Who was Confucius.” She answered, matter-of factly; “Confucius was the man who invented confusion.” True story! When she returned to Panama she was awarded several contracts to promote products on TV. What more can I say?
Take Care,
Omar.-
As you know, I taught high school seniors for a number of years and I found a lot of students had not learned much about geography, history, or social studies. From; they didn’t know who our presidents were, to thinking milk was a manufactured product like Tyson manufactured chickens. I am not surprised America has sunk to the bottom of the literacy list and are, for the most part, scribblers.
Hello Abe:
I understand exactly what you mean. The incident of Miss Panama and her answer about Confucius is an eloquent example of how poor we’re doing in our current educational system. I shiver to think that these ill-prepared kids will manage our companies in the future and lead our country as Presidents.
Nice to hear from you Abe.
Omar.-