5.6 Exemplary Biology Curricula

A number of recommendations have been made regarding the future direction of high school science curricula. Especially relevant here are the recommendation by the Project Synthesis, the reports by the NSTA's Focus on Excellence series, Project 2061, and the National Science Education Standards. In this section we'll explore programs in biology, followed by sections on chemistry and physics.

Biology is one of the most important courses in the American science curriculum because for many students it is their last experience with a formal course in science. Also I noted earlier that more than half of all high course science courses are in the field of biology. This includes survey, general and accelerated biology courses, biology II courses, marine biology, and human anatomy and physiology.

Biology teaching at the high school level has emphasized the vocabulary and very specific cognitive objectives, as opposed to focusing on more general goals such as understanding biological systems, how biological knowledge is developed, and how biological information can be of benefit to humans and society.

As pointed out by biology educators, the rapid changes in the biological sciences in the last forty years, and the impact of these changes on the individual and society has been profound. Students leaving high school today are living in a "new biological world." One of the major recommendations of the biology group of Project Synthesis was that the high school biology program should center on the study of human beings as a part of nature. A greater effort needs to made to help students make connections between biological knowledge, society and technology.

Bybee suggests a reformulating of of the goals of biology teaching and suggests the following as the foci for biology education:

1. Biology education should lead to a fundamental understanding of biological systems.
2. Biology education should develop a fundamental understanding of, and the ability to use, the methods of scientific investigation (use science processes to solve problems in biology)
3. Biology education should prepare citizens to make responsible decisions concerning science-related social issues.
4. Biological education should contribute to an understanding and fulfillment of personal needs, thus contributing to the development of the individuals.
5. Biological education should inform students about careers in biological and health sciences.

In a more recent report on the teaching of biology, the National Research Council recommends a biology program at the high school level that is leaner centered (in the number of terms and concepts introduced), and for the course "the scaffolding should include an understanding of basic concepts in cell and molecular biology, evolution, energy and metabolism, heredity, development and reproduction, and ecology. Concepts should be mastered through inquiry, not memorization of words."

As pointed out in the report, the formula for change in the current teaching scheme of high school biology should be focused on teaching scientific concepts, reasoning, and learning through inquiry. The committee sees the following as the scope of change that is needed for ensure a high school biology that meets this criterion:

1. In designing a course, we must identify the central concepts and principles that every high-school student should know and pare from the curriculum everything that does not explicate and illuminate these relatively frew concepts.

2. The concepts must be presented in such a manner that they are related to the world that students understand in a language that is familiar.

3. They must be taught by a process that engages all the students in examining why they believe what they believe. That requires building slowly, with ample time for discussion with peers and with the teacher. In science, it also means observation and experiments, not as an exercise in following recipes, but to confront the essence of the material.

The exemplary biology programs that I have cited below reflect the goals and desired directions of this new view of biology education.

Experiential Biology I and II

The biology I and II sequence is a common model in most American high schools. This exemplary program developed by teachers at Addison High School in Michigan focuses on the active involvement of all students and a focus on these broad goals.

• Learn and experience the basic inquiry and investigative processes of science.
• Show students that biology is not remote and above the society that supports it.
• Learn basic facts, concepts and principles of biology, and the field of science in general.
• Develop favorable attitudes toward biology and science.
• Gain a knowledge of science as a career choice.
• Develop a awareness of the environment and man's role in it.

Biology I emphasizes the investigation of local plants, animals, and their ecological interaction, DNA, and genetics. Students work in small teams on activities and experiments. In the Biology I course, special socially relevant problems and issues are presented (The Road Problem and the Baby Experiment). Students are given some choices with regard to activities and projects in Biology I. For example, during each of the three nine-week sessions, the student identifies the research problem they will work on.

Biology II is highly individualized. Since the focus of the course is on having the students engage in biological research, and the social implications of biology, individual students are guided along by the teacher toward their areas of interest. According to Ellis, students play a major role in planning lessons, decision making and classroom management. In the Biology II course, students work in teams during the first and third nine-week term, and do individual research projects during the second and fourth terms.

Modified Team Approach to Teaching Biology

Team teaching is more common to middle schools than it is to high schools. Yet in this high school curriculum model, a team of biology teachers at Cherry Creek High School in Englewood, Colorado, plan and prepare teaching materials, laboratory activities, and evaluation instruments, and take responsibility for each others classrooms and students.

Owen and her colleagues report that the overall thrust of this biology program is to give students insights on life from molecules to the biosphere in order to help them interpret and understand themselves and their environment. This biology program emphasizes human adaptation and alternative futures by discussing consequences of such topics as overpopulation, quality of life, heredity, and genetic engineering. Their program also involves the students in important social applications of biology education such drug awareness, sexually transmitted diseases, birth control, abortion, anti-smoking, ecology, birth defects, and genetic counseling. Students are encouraged to discuss these issues and to consider the value, ethical and moral considerations of science-related problems.

In this program several teachers of biology function as a team. They are involved in preparation of labs, exams and reading materials and the curriculum for the year. The team approach contributes to a successful program because of the contribution of several individuals. Individual expertise than be maximized in this model. The team approach to preparing laboratories cuts down on the time of preparation, and the cost of materials. The team approach also encourages individuals to carry out laboratory, hands-on activities more so than if teachers were working separately.

Another advantage of this program is that students benefit by being exposed to more than one biology teacher. In any group of teachers, there will be differences in expertise, and students surely will benefit from this.

The content organization of the program is based on the BSCS Green Version, Biological Science: An Ecological Approach. However the textbook is considered a reference book and a guide. The organization of the content, (see the chart below) is conceptualized on the basis of whole to part and then back to the whole. Therefore ecology is presented first, followed by specific topics on plants, animals, protists, anatomy and physiology, and then finishing the course with an examination of humanities role in the biological world.

Human Ecology

Human ecology, according to many biological educators is one of the important directions for biology teaching. Human ecology becomes a unifying theme for the biology teacher and the student. Human ecology is based on the relationship between human beings and the total environment. Bybee points out that human ecology as a unifying theme can focus biology teaching toward these ends:

• Holistic: Because of the complexity of human problems related to biology, they need to be considered in relation to their interrelatedness and holistic nature.

• Ecological scarcity: Humans need to understand the limits of the environments ability to provide resources and degrade wastes.

• The Ecosystem concept: The human ecosystem is where teaching should begin, with departures to the big (the biosphere as a whole) and the small (microbes).

• Social Responsibility: Students, as future citizens, need to learn how to interact with the environment responsibly.

The Human Ecology Program described here was developed in Claymont, Deleware. According to the developers, it is an innovative science elective course with the focus being the development of human beings and the well being of individuals and families in their social and physical environments.

The curriculum is described by the developers as community-based. The staff developed their own teacher and student handbook, as use other references as well, including video tapes, and filmstrips. The curriculum includes six units as follows: introduction, self-inventory, physical development, psychological development, social institutions, and environmental factors. The outline of the curriculum is shown below.