[cardamomo]

I think the authors misunderstand the art of teaching in some fundamental ways. While discussing the many obstacles to entering the teaching profession mid-career, for example, they claim that courses on adolescent development or lesson planning are of "questionable value ore relevance to STEM education" and go on to suggest that mastery in one's subject area (in this case, engineering), is equatable to being qualified to teach.

The fact is, one needs to learn how to teach effectively. While having great command over your subject area is certainly important, a deep understanding of child or adolescent development and the tools of the trade (lesson planning, assessment techniques, educational technology) are equally important.