VALUE OF SCIENCE IN THE CARIBBEAN SOCIETY FOR CRITICAL THINKING AND DEVELOPMENT

Dr. Shirin HaquePhysics Department

UWI

Islands in the sea...

Do we control our destiny? Are we at the whims and fancies of what is happening globally? Our best resource.....?

The scientific mind….

is a critically thinking mind….

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)

Critical thinking

• A complex set of cognitive skills employed in problem-solving and intellectual consideration and innovation. Critical thinking requires mental agility and thoughtful consideration.

What is missing???

This globe of ours is inhabited by two species of humans. Of one quarter of mankind some 1.1 billion are developed. They inhabit

2/5 of the land area of the earth and control 4/5 of the world’s natural resources while 3.6 billions developing humans – Les Miserables and the Mustazeffin (deprived ones) live on the remaining 3/5 of the globe. What distinguishes one species of humans from the other is the ambition, the power, the élan which basically stems from their differing mastery of

present day Science and Technology (S&T)

Critical thinking through...

Scientific researchand

Education

is key to societal developmentand growth

inthe Caribbean

“Who we are cannot be separated from where we're from.” ― Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success

Culture is powerful

“Cultural legacies are powerful forces. They have deep roots and long lives. They persist, generation after generation, virtually intact, even as the economic and social and demographic conditions that spawned them have vanished, and they play such a role in directing attitudes and behavior that we cannot make sense of our world without them.” ― Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success

Science is not ignored...

Yet....

Research: What the data says...

• 1999 – 2009 data from WoS (Web of Science)• 32 Caribbean countries published 12, 817

papers – 0.08 % of the world total• Cuba produced half of them and Jamaica and

Trinidad and Tobago, 10 % each

Division of the sciences...

• Agriculture, Biology & Environmental Sciences (28%)

• Biomedical Research (21%)• Clinical Medicine (18%).

Agriculture, Biology & Environmental Science

• Curacao and Bermuda had the highest visibility while Belize showed the strongest specialisation.

Biomedical research

• Barbados and Bermuda showed the highest visibility while Grenada was the most specialised in this area.

Chemistry

• In Chemistry, publications of Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago were better cited than the average for the region

Clinical Medicine

The Dominican Republic and Haiti led the way with respect to visibility of publications.

LAC - Science Citation index - 1973 - 2010

Social Sciences, Arts and humanities

Countries considered

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Spain, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Thomas, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Uruguay and Venezuela.

The key....

Universities !• Curacao – University of Curacao• Bermuda – Bermuda College• Belize – University of Belize• Barbados – UWI• Grenada - St George’s University• Jamaica - UWI• Trinidad and Tobago - UWI • Dominican Republic - over 20 universities• Haiti – University of Haiti +++• Cuba - University of Havana +++

Education?

The mission

• Review the Physics examinations at the CSEC level for level of critical thinking.

The process

• Teachers: interviews and questionnaires– Trinidad– Barbados

• Students: Questionnaires – Trinidad– Barbados

The findings

The “Truths”

• Infrastructure of IT and equipment inadequate• Low number of students employing critical

thinking skills• Mathematical skills very poor• English skills also very poor• SBA very good for Critical thinking skills• Not enough time to complete syllabus

properly

Trends

• Student’s grasp /performance in Physics getting progressively worse

• Practical aspect of Physics deemed most important for teaching

• Practical aspect of Physics seen most enjoyable by students

• Students that like/enjoy Physics prefer to problem solve , those that don’t prefer memorization

• SBA has some difficulties by its very nature

Unique ideas

• Implement practical exam• Introduce Astronomy – as incorporates every

aspect of Physics syllabus• Science fairs• Increase coursework component to include

research questions• Reduce size of syllabus• Include Caribbean Physicists, history of Science

recommendations

• The laboratory and IT aspect requires significant improvement in schools

• More time required to be spent on practical/laboratory aspect of physics

• SBA lauded and to be continued with improved monitoring.

• Greater coursework component for research questions during term time

Point to note

Teaching of Physics needs to be coordinated with Mathematics which is an essential tool.

It is like sending someone to build a shelf with only the materials and no tools. You know what needs to be done but you cannot do it.

The world scene?

Educational aspirations Comparison of academic performance in 57

countries, students in Finland came out on top overall. Finnish 15-year-olds did the best in science and came in second in math. Other top-performing countries were: Hong Kong, Canada, Taiwan, Estonia, Japan and Korea.

Culture?

• "The Asians cover many more topics"; • "The Japanese are in school longer"; • ''The French require more homework"; • "High levels of instant recall and speed in

calculations are required of Chinese students.“ They indicate the high level of attention to

mathematics and science education around the world.

Caribbean culture?

Caribbean people know how to party! Our culture = sun, sand, sea

In the classroom.....?

Regional science documentaries

• Adventures in discovery• All is number• Losing paradise

Learning from the Finns

• The Finnish school system uses the same curriculum for all students.

• Students have light homework loads. • Finnish schools do not have classes for gifted students.• Finland uses very little standardized testing.• Children do not start school until age 7. • Finland has a comprehensive preschool program that

emphasizes "self-reflection" and socializing, not academics. • Grades are not given until high school, and even then, class

rankings are not compiled.

• Teachers must have master's degrees. • Becoming a teacher in Finland is highly

competitive. • Just 10% of Finnish college graduates are

accepted into the teacher training program; as a result, teaching is a high-status profession.

• Students are separated into academic and vocational tracks during the last three years of high school. About 50% go into each track.

• Diagnostic testing of students is used early and frequently. • If a student is in need of extra help, intensive intervention

is provided. • Groups of teachers visit each others' classes to observe

their colleagues at work. • Teachers also get one afternoon per week for professional

development. • School funding is higher for the middle school years, the

years when children are most in danger of dropping out. • College is free in Finland.

Gen(d)erations

Economics and Statistics Administration

In conclusion, times are a changing for women and STEM, but the gaps between men and women remain vast and have closed only slowly.

Ramkissoon report – S & T in GDP• Costa Rica and Cuba -increased allocation to Research and

Development (R & D) from .2% to 1.25% of its GDP, Costa Rica exports of high tech products is 44% of its total export and it has a Human Development Index Ranking of 41 out of 162 countries.

• Cuba allocated 1% to R&D, derives 10% of its income from biotech exports and arguably has the best health system in the developing

world. • In the year 2000 no country in the region spent more then .2% of GDP on R&D with at least one country allocating absolutely nothing. • The percentage recommended by international organizations for

developing countries is 1%.

• USA and Japan spent 2.8%, India 1% and China 1.2%.

• The amount spent on R&D in all of Latin America and the Caribbean was equivalent to what South Korea spent.

• A 2005 OAS publication has confirmed a strong correlation between investment R&D and the economy.

Problems

• What is the Caribbean?• Culture of the islands…• The vast seas….• The languages we speak….language spoken - Spanish, English, French, Dutch and Creole. It is a very complex region

solution

• Critical thinkers through STEM research and education

“Success is not a random act. It arises out of a predictable and powerful set of circumstances and opportunities.”

― Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success