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Curriculum Reform Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s

Curriculum Reform Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s. Chapter 8: History of Ideas in Science Education Amanda Johnson & Mandi Brooks. How did we get here?. America had an unmet need for scientists and engineers in WWII Soviet launch of Sputnik in October 1957

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Curriculum Reform Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s

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  1. Curriculum Reform Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s Chapter 8: History of Ideas in Science Education Amanda Johnson & Mandi Brooks

  2. How did we get here? • America had an unmet need for scientists and engineers in WWII • Soviet launch of Sputnik in October 1957 • Perceived threat to national security brought on by the Cold War

  3. Shift in education from social relevance to traditional rigor • During the mid 1950’s, the NSF (funded by the federal government) financially supported several curriculum projects • Provide a set of curriculum materials of high quality and considerable appeal • Prepare students for entering into college science programs

  4. Projects funded by the NSF… • PHYSICS: Physical Science Study Committee- 1956 • BIOLOGY: Biological Sciences Curriculum Study- 1959 • CHEMISTRY: Chemical Bond Approach Project- 1957 Chemical Education Material Study- 1959 • EARTH SCIENCE: Secondary School Project- 1966 Earth Science Curriculum Project- 1967 • PHYSICAL SCIENCE: Introductory Physical Science- 1967 • ELEMENTARY SCIENCE: Science- A Process Approach- 1967 Study Elementary Science Study – 1969 Science Curriculum Improvement- 1970

  5. Commonalities of the Programs • Present a coherent set of related concepts with broad unifying themes • Reduction of the number of topic covered in favor for more current and in-depth study • Included historical dev’t of the subject • Excluded technological applications, relation to everyday life

  6. Reform Movement was led by college science professors with the help of school teachers • Education faculty played a secondary role, if any • A number of educational theorists lent considerable support and generated momentum

  7. Jerome Bruner • Noted psychologist from Harvard • The Woods Hole Conference (1959) • Supported new structure and inductive learning strategies • Felt there should be more intuitive or creative thought processes • Introduced Piaget’s work- translated into the concept of a “spiral curriculum”

  8. Joseph J Schwab • Curriculum theorist from University of Chicago; was part of BSCS in 1959 • Felt the nation faced three important needs: • additional scientists • competent political leaders • a public sympathetic to ongoing programs of scientific research

  9. Schwab’s new conceptions of science: • Scientists no longer viewed knowledge as stable truth • Fluid enquiry as a means to invention • New vital importance of science for discoveries, principles, and applications • Stressed the processes by which scientists generated the knowledge

  10. How successful were the new programs? • A number of studies investigated the effectiveness of the new programs… -NSF’s “National Survey”(1977) – -Suzanne Quick (1978) - effects on commercial textbooks -CHEM Study Group (1964)- evaluate any changes in enrollment into science classes

  11. “New Directions for Teaching Secondary School Science” • Written by Paul Hurd in 1970 • Identified specific pros and cons in his overall analyses of the projects

  12. Pros: • More up to date and valid information • Engaged students in independent, “discovery”- type investigations • Presented a more accurate picture of the nature of science • Dealt with smaller number of significant concepts taught in depth and in context

  13. Cons: • Too difficult for avg high school students • Didn’t seem to motivate students to study science- not related to real world, personal concerns, practical applications • Ignored the role of science in everyday life

  14. The national scope of the projects… • Funding by the federal government … • Widespread use of the courses… …made this effort unmatched in the history of American education. Sound familiar???

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