Future Now
The IFTF Blog
Science textbooks of the Future
In a recent Nature story, we see hints to the demise of science textbooks.
Instead of traditional books for his classes, Bierman relies instead on computer simulations, demonstrations and other interactive projects. One such project includes looking at archived online photos of historic Vermont landscapes over the past 200 years, in order to observe and convey the process of landscape change.
Q: Why? A: Enquiry-based learning is picking up steam.
Teachers like Bierman are ditching books for several reasons. Because textbooks take so long to be printed, they can be outdated before they even reach the classroom. And studies have shown that passive activities, such as reading, are not the most effective way for every student to learn. An influential 2000 report from the National Academy of Sciences, called "How People Learn", emphasized enquiry-based learning — in which students learn by going wherever their curiosity takes them, and the teachers serve as facilitators of the learning process.
How soon before we only go to the campus bookstore to get a school jersey or coffee mug?