In science department meetings, we often agonize over what and how much content to “cover.” We lament that students don’t seem to remember much content from one year or subject to the next. Inquiry and in-depth study often take a back seat to presenting content that will be on a final exam or state test.
When identifying skills critical to science, I wonder if we should include traditional skills such as balancing equations, calculating answers to problems, measuring, or memorizing definitions? Communications and mathematics are certainly critical in science, but they should be put in context. Most of us as adults read for a purpose such as entertainment or information. Most of our writing is purposeful, too: memos, reports, logs, journals, self-expression. Few of us do arithmetic calculations without a specific purpose (although I am addicted to KenKen puzzles).
One of my favorite quotations (often attributed to Albert Einstein) is “Education is what’s left after you’ve forgotten everything.” In other words, even though we might not remember everything, we take basic experiences from a learning environment with us into new situations. When I switched from teaching middle to high school, the principal asked about my philosophy of learning. I had never written any formal document, so I listed the “big picture” skills I wanted my students to take away from my classes. I also posted these in my classroom, discussing them with the students:

Lifelong and independent learning beyond the classroom is based on these skills. We have to realize that not all students will pursue a science-related career or even have the same passion for the subject we have. But they will be voters, taxpayers, parents, employees, business owners, travelers, professionals, and hobbyists who will need not only basic content knowledge but also the skills to be lifelong learners in science-related issues. How many of our schools’ mission statements contain that phrase? What are we doing to make sure this happens?