In an interview that took place in Stockholm, Prof. Warschel warned that one should pay attention to what is happening in China, because they are going to conquer the scientific world, but with one caveat - they do not have an education for individualism
In stormy and snowy weather, the Nobel Week events began in Stockholm, Sweden. For the second time I am participating as a representative of the science site. On Saturday morning there will be a press conference of all the winners and on Sunday - the Nobel scientific lectures. Today (Friday) they conducted rounds of interviews. Since we dealt a lot with the scientific topic in both parts of the interview (see links) and due to the short time, I asked Prof. Aryeh Varshel, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, to know how to make sure that those who start their studies today will one day reach the status he experienced this week.
- Nobel laureate Prof. Aryeh Varshel is interviewed on the Hidan site, part XNUMX
- Interview with Prof. Aryeh Warshel - Part II
"It's something that comes with it. The only ones who can influence are the parents and kindergarteners. After that, it's too late. Maybe one or two can suddenly start studying at an older age and dream of a Nobel Prize, but basically it should come at a very young age."
The Knowledge Site: Does kibbutz education have any contribution to winning?
"Even in the kibbutz it comes because of the parents and because of the competitiveness you have inside, but anything like that has to come at a very early age even though there are people who were bad students and decided at a certain time to switch to science. It has to come from some drive or desire to solve problems. They were not particularly encouraged to study. Those who did not want to learn did not learn. Kibbutz is not exactly what leads you to science. There is competitiveness in the kibbutz. There are people who can direct this to action in various things, including science. There is no instruction to go in a certain direction"
Does the shared accommodation in children's homes make them think more - regarding a topic that has been studied a lot and found to be rather negative?
"My opinion about most researchers is that they are not always right. I say that the first chapter in textbooks (TEXT BOOKS) is never true. I know it's especially fashionable for those who don't sleep in a shared lodging kibbutz. I read several books of lamentation on the subject, including the Book of Seven, but this is not what I remember."
The family must have been supportive?
My mother supported, but the majority were not particularly encouraged, because if you study you can also end up leaving the kibbutz. Growing up in a children's home is not something that has anything negative about studying in the future."
How do you explain the succession of Israeli novelists in the last decade, is it a product of that period?
"It's a question I have no idea about, but it's interesting that it came out as a product of a certain period of people who studied at universities in the sixties, maybe it's a topic that those who wrote about the children's accommodation should seriously investigate. This is an interesting question that you can reach a conclusion about. I have no idea but it's interesting that it might be from that time. Maybe after the trask here I'll think about it. I agree this is an interesting fact.
All the experts say that the flow is going to stop due to the deterioration of the education system?
"This seems complete nonsense to me because all this success came from a period after studying in high school. The amount of people who go to universities, who go to science is still large. Quantitatively, I wouldn't be surprised if there are more people who went into the life sciences in the XNUMXs and certainly after than in the XNUMXs or earlier. High school determines how many people will go to science. If someone did a study and saw that more people went to science than in the sixties, that's the end of the high school story. I think that in the seventies there were certainly enough people who went to science and the process can continue.
The Scientist: Today, apparently, if you hear people like Elisha Yanai, they all say that the reform of the matriculation exams that anyone can pass matriculation riding horses has caused that very few go to science and the number is dwindling?
Prof. Warshel: "If this is true, it reduces the chances."
The scientist: And where is the Jewish mind in the whole business, since not only Israelis won but also many Jews?
"It is possible that there is a Jewish mind, there is also a Jewish impulse of the Jewish mother which is part of it, and there is probably something for the Jews who learned to read two thousand years ago, the only people who read during all that time. Maybe there is some genetic addition. The Chinese have not yet said the last word. It is also clear that the education for independent thinking is not so present in Chinese culture, maybe this will change, but you have to separate ambition, push from parents and other things and what a Jewish mind has. Statistically, there seems to be something in it, but I'm not the one to determine it."
By the way, this topic was brought up by all the speakers at the dinner held at the Jewish Community Center. Some of them pointed out that six of the nine winners this year are Jewish, and that a Shabbat dinner with Jewish and certainly Israeli Nobel winners has become a regular custom in the Jewish community in Stockholm, but none of the other eight Jewish winners came to the event. Nobel
Prof. Warshel added that he is expected to arrive in Israel around February.
You are invited to continue participating in the crowdfunding project. We have increased the number of lectures to 5 - when each person ordering a lecture will receive a series of posters describing the winning and the winners of each of the scientific awards. I will try to look for more beautiful gifts for participants in the financing. Unfortunately, since we are still far from 100%, it is not possible to receive your addresses for sending the postcards. I will look for something else.
Buda Avi Blizovsky
14 תגובות
Haim Mazar
I read your comments, and you are one of the only ones I respect.
"As for curiosity, the desire to know and ask questions must be stimulated and intensified" - this is where the parents, the kindergarten teacher, the teacher, the finances and the rest come in to stimulate the children's curiosity to learn.
But still: you have to be born with the right genes to succeed.
And nothing will help.
Maybe genetic engineering...
Miracles
What is irrelevant is your education. No one asked you about it.
I was not a genius at the age of 5-6. All in all, I was a normal child. with healthy curiosity. (And I didn't even know this, until my late grandfather pointed it out to me).
Beyond the fact that you didn't say anything - only at the age of 5,4, XNUMX does the child's memory stabilize/fix and the creature's character begins to develop.
Dan Digidi Dan Dan
What exactly do you know about my education?
You keep talking without knowing. I'm talking about when I was 3-4, and you tell me how much of a genius you were when you were 5-6. It's not interesting and it's off topic.
In order for there to be a next generation, the next generation of Israeli Nobel Prize winners, a lot, a lot, must be invested in education. If they don't, there will be no one to fly the Phantom or any other aircraft. The fact that many want to make money is good and blessed. From these grow the entrepreneurs for the future, it is likely that on the way to increasing the bank account there will be those who will fall because working in the business field requires skills that not everyone has. Let's take the restaurants for example. Many know how to celebrate in the kitchen and prepare wonderful recipes and there will be those who, thanks to their culinary talents, will want to open restaurants and this is where they will fall. Knowing how to cook is one thing and managing a restaurant is another. Here you need managerial and business ability. Here you have to study business management and economics. Anyone who wants to open a restaurant in the future needs to acquire an appropriate education. Education is an investment. The trap in the desire to make money means that many turn to two professions, which are law and business administration. The result is that there are too many who studied these professions and today there are lawyers who are unemployed.
In order for the education system to begin to bear fruit, it must be treated as an investment. Good students will turn to knowledge-intensive professions. In the education system, the most basic things have been neglected, which are reading books and curiosity. Those who read books will have a richer language and will be able to express themselves in an intelligent and precise way, and these are extremely essential in learning science. As for curiosity, the desire to know and ask questions must be stimulated and strengthened. Such a student is most likely to look for sources for his areas of interest and in the future will also be a good scientist.
"It has to come from some kind of drive or desire to solve problems. They were not particularly encouraged to study. Those who didn't want to learn didn't learn" -
Prof. Warshel.
Probably.
When I was little (age 5-6) I was curious about the world, and this (human and natural curiosity) motivated me to learn and explore. (Probably it's in character or genes).
On the other hand, I have seen (and still see) 5-6 year olds and older who are not interested in learning.
The parents and the kindergarten teacher and the money and everything else is just an excuse.
Those who want to learn, those who don't want to write things like you and B write. Just to feel good about themselves that they are stupid because their parents didn't push them enough or they didn't have financial support or their kindergarten teacher preferred to beat them instead of educating.. and other vegetables.
Dan Digiden
What you say is also true for 3 and 4 year olds? Do you even understand what the problem is?
There are many more such sentences:
If they want they will eat, if they don't want they won't eat.
What they all have in common is that they have no real content.
Those who want to learn - learn.
Those who don't want to - blame the whole world except themselves.
They used to talk about education and the result is that today we have professors and Nobel laureates.
Today we are talking about an economy and we will see the results in a few years.
ב
Yes, but not only. The Minister of Education wants to remain the Minister of Education. The chairman of the teachers union also wants to stay in his position. The children and the kindergarten teachers are only disturbing...
They once talked about education.
Today we are talking about the economy.
Everything is looked at through the hole in the dime.
In the education system in Israel today, a kindergarten teacher is considered a babysitter. Her job is to please the parents. There is no serious curriculum. When a kindergarten teacher is sick - any person from the street can replace her. When there are problems with a parent - the parent gets all the backup. Even the body that is supposed to support kindergarteners - the Histadrut of Teachers - is not interested in addressing the problems - see the chapter "New Horizon" in the book of the ongoing Israeli stupidity.
I can go on and on and on... the problem is not the lack of financial support. It's just a symptom. The problem is in a fundamentally rotten system that only fades over the years.
About three things:
a) The direction from the parents
b) a good kindergarten teacher
c) Financial support while studying.