28. *Insert Hokey "Method to Madness" Joke Here*

In keeping with the educational theme...

We're all too aware that our nation is falling further and further behind on the scholastic front. As schools continue to trudge through a lack of funding -- cutting programs, lowering wages, and reducing report cards and permission slips to advertising space for local businesses in an attempt to keep their heads above water -- it's distressing to think the problem isn't likely to improve anytime soon.

However, there is at least one area in which we can still claim to be competitive.

ScienceDaily (Feb. 1, 2009) — “A study of college freshmen in the United States and in China found that Chinese students know more science facts than their American counterparts (averages: 90% versus 50%) -- but both groups are nearly identical when it comes to their ability to do scientific reasoning.”

The silver lining sounds nice, right? Until you realize that both groups did relatively poorly on the reasoning end of things. And this is nothing new. Time and time again, studies have shown that students often pick and choose which set of facts to accept and which to ignore when it comes to dissecting a large body of information.

I often refer to the scientific method, but in researching our nation's educational standing it occurs to me that a too-large majority of students genuinely may be learning science purely as stand-alone facts, rather than learning the underlying procedure for reaching conclusions, which is the heart and soul of scientific thought.

So here it is, in a nutshell; the scientific method:

The above can be reduced to four basic steps.

Step 1: Characterization (Question)

This is where you define the subject. Measurements and observations, to the front. On the double.

Step 2: Hypothesis (Question)

This would be your wild-ass attempt to explain said definitions, measurements, and observations.

Step 3: Prediction (Question)

No, you're not going all wiggy on this one. If your hypothesis is correct, something should logically and predictably follow. Put away the Magic Eight Ball and break out the Holmesy deduction skills.

Step 4: Experiment (Question)

I believe this one speaks for itself: test, test, test.

Wash, rinse, repeat, and keep repeating. It's a continuing cycle, not a one-time recipe. And, as the parenthesized after-bits would suggest, question everything.