A quick response to Dr. Pearson:
It seems to me that the crucial thing is NOT to make testing kits
freely available but to nurture the thinking that enables the test
results to be interpreted. That is, a much more
substantial and educative focus on the nature and meaning of data
and, more particularly, its problematics. It seems to me that
asking sensible questions and critiquing less than sensible
assertions is at the heart of effective education. I believe that
this is something which is not only missing from all the educational
programmes with which I am familiar but, under current educational
policy, is becoming less and less likely to be addressed.
Leone Burton
Leone Burton
Professor of Education (Mathematics and Science)
The University of Birmingham
Birmingham B15 2TT
tel: (44) 121 414 4812
fax: (44) 121 414 7845
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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