I thought this week’s topic was particularly interesting
because from the beginning of time people have been fascinated by space- the
endless sky, the faraway stars and the mysterious planets. What I found really
interesting was how the entire American education system changed after the
Soviets first launched Sputnik in 1957.
It is interesting to note how for many Americans, the launch
of Sputnik was proof that American education, especially in science had fallen
behind. This led to the Congress passing the National Defense Education Act in
1958 to provide, amongst many other things, college scholarships and other help
to aspiring scientists, engineers and mathematicians.
In this way we see how that little aluminum sphere called
Sputnik not only kick started the Space Race but also jolted the nation’s
education system. Schools now started focusing on particularly bright and
gifted students, handpicking them for upper level STEM courses. Schools also
started receiving more funding, not just for math and science but also for
foreign languages.
During this time, baby boomer families started buying
educational toys like telescopes and plastic models of the human body. Parents
now wanted their children to grow up to be intelligent and help improve the
United States space program and overtake the Soviet’s in the Space Race.
Thus we see that with the launch of Sputnik, the United
States became quite concerned that the Soviet Union had a head start in the
Space Race. The United States began to realize how important the support of
talented scientists and mathematicians was to national security. This led to a
number of reforms in the education system, with special emphasis on science,
mathematics and foreign languages. No longer did teachers focus on rote learning
of technical terms. Instead more emphasis was given to teaching broad concepts.
Students were now encouraged to understand and not just memorize.
WORKS CITED:
Boyle, Alan. “Sputnik Started Space Race, Anxiety.” NBS News. 4 October 1997. Web. 31 May
2015. <http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3077890/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/sputnik-started-space-race-anxiety/#.VWuKIWRViko>
Dawson, Christopher. “Space Race or Education?” ZDNet. 7 May 2009. Web. 31 May 2015.
<http://www.zdnet.com/article/space-race-or-education/>
Dean, Cornelia. “When Science Suddenly Mattered, in Space
and in Class.” The New York Times. 25
September 2007. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/25/science/space/25educ.html?pagewanted=all>
Toppo, Greg. “Sputnik Heralded Space Race, Focus on
Learning.” USA Today. 10 March 2007.
Web. 30 May 2015. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-10-03-sputnik-education_N.htm>
No comments:
Post a Comment