Reply #17: I disagree strongly with that statement. I too teach at University [View All]

As a teacher/scientist, I recognize much of what we know is subject to needing improvement.
Consequently it is always necessary for me to make judgments about things along the changing edge of what we know. What is a judgment if not an opinion?


What concepts have gained worthiness to be mentioned in a course? What is ready to be discarded?

If your answer is "what is in the textbook" you must know that choosing a textbook is a matter of opinion. And relying on the text only moves content decisions away from the classroom and onto the desk of a textbook author who is making exactly the same decisions. It also builds into teaching a delay between when something becomes consensus understanding and when it gets presented to a classroom. Developments happen and get published outside of textbooks. Should they be left out? I think not. But, you would be absolutely correct to say that such content choices boil down to personal opinion. And they may sometimes be wrong (not in my discipline, but I remember a physics colleague discussing the implications of the cold fusion "break-thru" at Texas A&M with his students). But it is these opinions we fully expect professors to make (it is my experience that most faculty in my field are quite judicious about this sort of thing, and when we get out on the edge we state that uncertainties exist and make note that we are presenting our interpretations).

In my professional opinion, students of science need to understand that what they hold as scientific consensus at any give time is subject to change--sometimes a little bit and sometimes a lot. Ultimately the end products of science education--practicing scientists--must be able critically evaluate these sorts of expected change and assume an opinion that will become part of a future consensus of the discipline in which they labor. To leave students with the notion that controversy and opinion don't exist in science, don't influence the progress of science, and won't be a part of their professional life is a real disservice to science students and to the progress of science. I can't imagine it being much different in other disciplines.


Nonetheless I feel that it is also reasonable for students and my supervisors to have every expectation that I will limit my classroom discussion to things that are relevant and appropriate to their developmental level, and to the area I am assigned to teach and not to introduce issues outside of that.