Keeping Up with Global Competition

“I hope Americans see China's rise as the 21st-century equivalent of Russia launching the Sputnik
satellite -- a challenge to which we responded with a huge national effort that revived our
education, infrastructure and science and propelled us for 50 years” (Friedman, 2010, p. WK8). After reading this article, I did some research into Sputnik and how it inspired the United States and sparked a nation-wide interest in science and technology.

One fact that I found interesting was that the satellite was very small – only about the size of a
beach ball (NASA, 2007). Sputnik was small, yes, but also amazingly powerful! According to NASA (2007), “That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific
developments. While the Sputnik launch was a single event, it marked the start
of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race.” About a month after that launch, the Russians
launched a second satellite, this one bigger and carrying a dog. The United States quickly realized that it was time to step up its efforts and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration was created, all in response to the launch of the Russian satellite.

Friedman (2010) compares China and terrorism to the Sputnik as far as spurring the American public to action. I also think that controversial issues –cloning, stem cell research, global warming, etc. – can have the same effect on people. Polarizing of people’s beliefs does have one positive consequence in that it makes people think and it creates interest and awareness. Instead of worrying about China, I think that we need to invest our time and energy into promoting STEM from a very early age. If we can get our students EXCITED about science, technology, engineering, and math, then the upcoming generations won’t need to have a Sputnik-type event to prompt more outrage and action – they will already be invested in the importance of STEM to the future of our country.

What does this mean for us, as educators? It means we need to stop focusing on the textbook and rote assessments. Our students can access information at the touch of a button – they don’t need to memorize random facts and then regurgitate them on some test. What we need to teach our students is how to THINK!! Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are crucial in order to develop the STEM scientists and thinkers of the future. Let’s do more hands-on activities, more investigations, more group projects. Then this issue of trying to drum up interest
in science will become a non-issue!


References:

Friedman, T. L. (2010, January 17). What’s our Sputnik? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)], p.WK.8.

Garber, S. (2007, October 10). Sputnik and the dawn of the space age. Retrieved January 14, 2012, from National Aeronautics and Space Administration website: http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/