Justin Shenk

“Two in three students predicted they would be ‘very good’ workers on a job in 2006 (compared with the one in two who guessed so in 1975). Thus, by 2006, two-thirds of students were predicting that they would perform in the top 20% of the population in their adult jobs.¹⁶ It is tempting to believe that this is a positive development. American culture teaches that one must be self-confident to be successful. However, self-esteem does not predict success.²² In fact, being overconfident – a fair description of a group in which two in three people expect to perform in the top 20%– actually leads to greater failure,²³ perhaps because overconfident people do not recognise when they are doing badly and need to improve.”

Link: Jean Twange. Generational changes and their impact in the classroom: teaching Generation Me. Medical Education, 43:398-405.

Abstract

President Obama recently called for more scientist involvement in education. Science outreach programs are very welcome, but to be effective, they must include incentives for teachers and better training for scientist volunteers.

Link: Encouraging science outreach : Abstract : Nature Neuroscience.

Nature Neuroscience 12, 665 (2009)
doi:10.1038/nn0609-665