Dear Stan, For many years language teachers have championed a technique of language training called 'total immersion'. With this technique, students are placed in an environment where all communication is done in the language being taught -- there is no translation or training in how to translate between your native language and the new language. Linguists have reported very high success rates by using this method.
Famously, the Spanish Department at La Trobe University in Melbourne used this technique. From the moment that students enrolled in Spanish, they were confronted by this immersion technique. The Department's receptionist spoke only Spanish; enrolment forms were written only in Spanish, and the staff did not speak any other language to students. I wonder how effective a similar metric science education program would be using similar methods. Your science classrooms and laboratories would only have metric rulers (in metres and millimetres -- with no double sided scales); all masses would be metric only, in grams and kilograms; all measuring cylinders would be in litres and millilitres; and all thermometers would be Celsius only. All lessons, experiments, and calculations would involve SI units only; there would be no calculations involving old imperial or old USA units, nor would there would be any calculations involving old metric units. In particular, there would never be any requirement to convert any units from old to new -- students could develop their new SI metric mindsets from direct experience. Cheers, Pat Naughtin LCAMS Geelong, Australia Pat Naughtin is the editor of the free online newsletter, 'Metrication matters'. You can subscribe by sending an email containing the words subscribe Metrication matters to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- on 29/2/04 1:27 PM, G. Stanley Doore at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Effective metrication must begin in schools. > > Rather than teach metrication for general purpose use, the SI must be taught > and used exclusively in science classes and courses since science uses > metric virtually exclusively. In this way, students will relate to science > much easier than trying to force them to use the SI outside of science or > using English units in science. In this way, students will be prepared for > conversion outside of science without creating disturbances by the adult > population. In fact, students could be a catalyst for educating the public > about the SI and its ease of use and its coherency. > > As for volume vs. mass, liquids could be measured by volume while solids by > mass. Ingredients should be given in mass of each element per kilogram > and/or for the total volume a container's contents. That way you can > compare the density of the fluid with water which is virtually 1 kg/L. > > Stan Doore
