Reflection Paper 12

The revolution in curriculum that took place after Sputnik was that students were made to focus on thinking like scientists and mathematicians. It affected U.S education because it caused schools to focus more on areas like science, foreign language, and math instead of the other subjects as well. When Sputnik was launched American institutions seemed to be geared more towards making future scientists and math majors than in what students really wanted to do with their lives. They U.S government passed the National Defense Education Act to support that basic idea by offering college students scholarships and loans. The NDEA even “went after” the upcoming youth when it was passed by developing their teaching skills, mental resources, and enhance security. I think that this whole movement after Sputnik was launched was not to benefit the students but to benefit themselves. The United States wanted to be the first to launch their shuttle into space they basically wanted to be the first to do everything. So the U.S decided to pass the NDEA not for the benefit the education of students but to create future scientists and mathematicians to work for the government to beat the other nations. I think it was only a competition to them and that all they cared about was getting ahead and being better than everyone else. They called it a race to space for a reason, to see who could be the first to launch a rocket into the unknowns of space. When the NDEA was passed it was basically a bribe for students to major in math and science since they offered loans and scholarships geared for those wanting to major in science and math. One good thing about the revolution in curriculum was that they didn’t focus as much on memorizing and mad students think it out. When you have to memorize something I don’t think you will be able to remember it as well as you would when you have to think like scientists or mathematicians. When you think about a problem like that its more interactive and not just plain memorization. The information doesn’t remain as well when you don’t have anything to relate it to or have a feel for. I think that was the only positive effect of the revolution in curriculum. Students shouldn’t be forced or bribed in order to become something. They should figure out what they would like to be on their own especially if it was for a reason like wanting to be ahead of other countries.