Slow learning may not be such a problem ...

Having grown up with only one ambition, namely to become a farmer, I never ever contemplated that my entire career would be closely related to education. Entirely unexpectedly, I ended up a member of the Faculties of Agriculture and Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney for 34 years, from 1974 until 2007. With that background, in addition to four years as a BScAgr student, what thoughts do I have about education?

A very important lesson I learned quickly as an undergraduate and later, repeatedly as an academic, was to understand what it is like to NOT understand! Not only did it often take me ages to gain a level of understanding that others gained far more quickly, but often I then forgot what I had so painstakingly learned, and had to start all over again! Gradually I came to appreciate that this actually helped me as a teacher, because I had no trouble placing myself in the state of mind of someone who was hearing about a particular topic for the first time. So, a message for younger souls: do not be discouraged if you are a slower learner than some of your fellow students and/or colleagues; this perceived disadvantage could mean that you are better placed to (metaphorically) take students by the hand and assist them in the wondrous journey of increasing their understanding of some exciting new knowledge.

What should be taught in science-related education? My feeling is that it should be a mixture of (1) knowledge and understanding that is needed not only to comprehend current science-relevant issues and but also to decide whether they should or should not be adopted, particularly in relation to their implications for sustainability and for human society, (2) practical skills that are required in the application of current science, (3) learning how best to acquire and apply new knowledge and understanding, especially by the logical and critical evaluation of ideas and evidence, and (4) learning how to give and receive constructively critical feedback. Item (3) is particularly important, given the inevitability that much of the scientific knowledge that people use in their careers will have been discovered after their formal education has been completed! Although I have not looked closely at the way in which agricultural science is taught in other institutions, my impression is that most, if not all, institutions have done, and still do, quite a good job at (1) and (2). Items (3) and (4) are more of a challenge, but are vitally important. Indeed, it could be argued that the future success or failure of the application of science to the production of food and fibre depends upon them.