Thinking skills for scientists (and engineers)
I keep coming back to the basic claim that the key ingredient of education is learning to think in particular ways. [n.b. In science, I am not at all playing up theory over experiment. You have to learn to think about what experiment to do and how to think about your results.].
In the past year, several people brought to my attention that MIT recently reviewed their engineering curricula. It is interesting that a key element is to teach students 11 ways of thinking. The list is worth reading and contemplating.
I have two minor comments. Although I affirm this as an admirable goal. I think the list is incredibly ambitious (even for MIT students) both in scope and content. But, maybe that is a good thing.
What do you think?
One of the 11 ways is Systems Thinking
In the past year, several people brought to my attention that MIT recently reviewed their engineering curricula. It is interesting that a key element is to teach students 11 ways of thinking. The list is worth reading and contemplating.
I have two minor comments. Although I affirm this as an admirable goal. I think the list is incredibly ambitious (even for MIT students) both in scope and content. But, maybe that is a good thing.
What do you think?
One of the 11 ways is Systems Thinking
Predicting emergence of the whole by examining inter-related entities in context, in the face of complexity and ambiguity, for homogeneous systems and systems that integrate multiple technologies.Again, I love it. But, some would even argue you cannot predict emergence...
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