Logic, and why didn't we know that?

This year, for the first time, we began a formal study of logic and critical thinking as part of our homeschool curricula. My daughter does exercises several times a week. I discovered that in some aspects of this she is very good, and in others she just doesn’t seem to get it.

Let me give you a couple of examples. In the word problems that relate one object to another, in the form of “orange is to fruit as wheat is to ____” with a multiple choice answer following, my daughter doesn’t seem to be able to provide the answer “grain” to fill in the blank. I have discovered a whole area of learning that she seems to have very little knowledge of. How did we miss this learning? And where would we have learned that wheat is a grain?

It is not that she doesn’t understand the problem, but more often it is an experience issue. If we do not consume alcohol at our home in any form, is there a reason for my sixth grader to know that wine is the alcoholic product of grape fermentation? It is not that I am opposed to her knowing about wine. The subject just never came up.

There are so many things that we take for granted as adults. We have heard things, and read things, and experienced things that our sixth graders haven’t had the opportunity to experience yet. Working through the logic book has shown me that there is a gap in her knowledge, I am not really sure how to fix it yet, except to let her live and learn. And maybe practice some more problems in the logic workbook!

The History of Science

Do you know who invented the light bulb, or the telephone? Do you know when penicillin was discovered, or when spontaneous generation was disproved? These milestones in science are what is known as the history of science. Names, places, and dates of these milestones are important. But, how important are they?

Up until sixth grade science has been a rather general thing. Our students didn’t really study zoology as much as they just learned about animals in a larger sense. And for some homeschoolers, it is not important for them to know about Charles Darwin, since they do not even study evolution.

How do you decide what historical points of science need to be remembered, which names are associated with which discoveries? Some parents would argue that it is more important to know about the invention or discovery than it is to know who discovered it or when they discovered it.

I think, starting around the 6th grade, that my student needs a more well rounded view of science and so we are beginning to emphasize not just the science, but the history of the science. Being able to place different steps in science in historical context, is important not only for the significance to science but also to the students knowledge of the world in general.