[squeakland] Scientific vs informal reasoning

[K. K. Subramaniam]

Ref: http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/01/college-upperclassmen-still-
fail-at-scientific-reasoning.ars

Some quotes:

>Scientific education, then, needs to convince people to move past their
>intuitions (at least if they want a more accurate picture of how the world
>operates).
>..
>Other problems noted by the authors include the use of energy as a fudge
>factor to make things balance out, and a tendency to substitute a wall of
>scientific terminology for actual understanding.
>..
>the limited improvements that resulted in the targeted interventions used in
>this study show that overcoming the tendency towards informal reasoning can
>be a significant challenge. And the authors don't necessarily know what to
>suggest beyond starting the process early and keeping it a consistent focus
>of the education system.

Subbu