The course improvement projects developed during the "Golden Age of Science Education" had an enormous impact on science teaching during that period, and have influenced the science education if today. In this inquiry you will compare and contrast a course improvement project science textbook and a commercial science textbook of the same time period.

Materials

• Course improvement project textbook
• Commercial science textbook (same subject and time period of the course improvement textbook)

Procedures

1. Working with a team, select one text or science program from the list of course improvement projects (see section on Course Improvement Projects). Find a commercial text or science program in the same content area. The class should make sure that teams select programs from the elementary, middle/junior, and high school levels.

2. Make a chart using your own criteria to compare and contrast the texts. You might consider the following questions for your criteria:

• Who are the authors of the textbook? (scientists, science educators, science teachers?)

• What are the goals of the course?

• How is the content organized in the textbooks?

• What emphasis is laboratory work given?

• To what extent is the application of science to society emphasized?

Minds On Strategies

1. What are the fundamental differences between the "traditional" science programs and the course improvement project science programs?

2. Jerome Bruner was one of the psychologists associated with the early course improvement projects. How were his theories manifested in these programs? (Refer to Chapter 2 for Bruner's ideas).

3. What do you think were some of the problems associated with implementing the course improvement project programs?