IIIGII-SCAOOL NOTES A REORGANIZATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FRED FORDEMWALT' University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
I N ARRANGING the science curriculum for the schools of Parsons, Kansas, to fit into the 6-4-4 organization, a careful study of the whole problem of secondary school science was made. The following discussion presents a few of the evidences and conclusions of the study. The present generation lives in the most fully mechanized period of all time. This machine age is dominated and controlled by the sciences, its creators. Science not only modiiies'profoundly our life, culture, health, and homes, but influencesour modes of thought and, in fact, our whole existence. The dependence upon science is reflected in the growing general interest of the public in scientific matters, clearly indicated by the fact that the circulation of popular scientific magazines has been increasing over twice as rapidly as that for magazines of other types. This interest arises from a need. The same need has been recognized in our public schools. There is a-substantial and increasing agreement among educators that science should occupy a more prominent place in the education of youth and adults alike. The evidence seems overwhelmingly in favor of the contention that the schools are in a far better position to offer the training than is any other of the various channels of dissem&ation. Having agreed that some knowledge of science is of the utmost im~ortancefor everv individual and that the schools are 'the logical agencies to offer this training, we are still left with some great problems. When, What shall where, and how shall we teach scienc:? be the nature of the courses offered? Shall we teach special or general courses? How much material shall be included in each case? We can hope only to suggest an answer to these questions here, with the acknowledgment that further evidence and experience may modify the position taken. Then, too, many local and administrative situations must be taken into consideration. As to the kind of courses needed, these must be of two distinct types: those intended as a background or technical foundation for the professional courses and those designed to equip the student better to become an intelligent, useful citizen, in non-scientific professions, in a scientific age. The second type must always be the proper course for the great majority-the majority that will become our average citizens. Grnenberg, in "Science and the Public Mind," has said that: "To vast numbers of men and women science amears
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as something altogether too remote from their interests or capacities to justify even a glance, or a hope of grasping . . . . The achievements of science as they are forced inevitably upon our attention through the press, the radio, the other concrete applications with which we come in contact, are the achievements of an incomprehensible magic; and most of us are too humble to expect an inside view." It is not too much to hope that this attitude, with its many unfortunate consequences, so common in today's generation, by a proper instruction in the schools of today will be unknown in the generation of tomorrow. While we shall never be able to justify a requirement that students who plan to become stenographers, bookkeepers, journalists, lawyers, etc., be required to spend hours on end mastering such technical fads and problems as those found in physics and chemistry, we must not overlook the fact that they must have some knowledge and understanding of the broader aspects of the sciences and their impacts upon modern life if they are to serve properly their place in democracy. Likewise, we should no more think of omitting this technical mastery from the requirements for the smaller group who are to enter the professionsaf engineering, medicine, etc., where such knowledge is basic. There has been a strong, but unfortunate, tendency to allow the entire science cumculum to become dominated by the requirement of this smaller group. The average highschool course tends to be an effort, though somewhat uncertain, in that direction. Q e average college course is distinctly designed as a technical course. Just where in the school setup the specialized courses should begin may vary with the situation, hut it seems generally fitting that all courses below the college level should be broad, non-technical courses with the purpose of stressing scientific attitudes and applications, with more specific data &d examples introduced a t the higher levels. The courses in the college proper are quite correctly designed as the basic science courses for the professio& The general accentance of this distinction should - -have a wholesome and vitalizing effect on the entire science offering. Despite the recognized significance of science in modem life, we must admit that there has been a strongly apathetic attitude toward i t shown by a great mass of our students. While the suggestion is made that science study should be generalized and liberalized in the secondary schools, it must not be assumed that this indicates we are to be any less serious in our teaching of it. On the contrary, the connotation of this liberalization is a 0
new and even greater care in the design of our courses. technical, stressing applications and impacts of science The liberalized course, to serve the purpose for which as met by the average person in daily life. i t is outlined, is a diicult thing to handle and its proper (3) Though physics, chemistry, and biology, as conduct will require as much or more care in preparation separate courses, are of recognized value, the weight of and presentation aswork demanding detailed and tech- evidence seems to favor a less specialized offering in the nical subject matter. Science on the secondary level, high school. though liberalized and generalized, must definitely be (4) It is suggested that a survey course in physical science, replacing physics and chemistry as such, will "science." The generalized and broadened science course which contribute to the student the most of value from both, seems to be so desirable is quite adequately provided in be free from many of their defects, and serve the seconda survey course. A survey course bas been defined as ary educational purpose better. one which cuts across conventional course boundaries ( 5 ) To require %at each student complete one unit and includes a t once materials from several fields of of biology, as a biology survey course, and one unit of learning to accomplish the purpose a t hand. In the physical science survey seems reasonable for completion secondary schools a survey course in biology including of the work of the secondary school. and relating the fields of botany and zoology, and a (6) The eleventh and twelfth years are probably survey course in physical science including and relating best for these courses, and certainly they should not he astronomy, physics, geology, and chemistry, seem to given prior to the tenth year. The twelfth year is recoffer splendid opportunities to achieve a large measure ommended for the physical science survey. (7) This recommendation fits into the 6-44 orof what is expected in secondary schools. In such surveys no need for technical mastery is constantly hover- ganization logically, whereas the more conventional ing over either the student or teacher and the broader secondary science courses are incompatible with this significance and applications may he freely developed. plan. (8) Such a science outline also adapts itself well to Assembling all considerations we may conclude: any secondary school system and eliminates the con(1) No student should complete a secondary educa- fusion and lack of correlation between high-school and tion without training in science. college science. It would not need to influence the (2) This science should he broad, general, and non- presentation of any survey courses in the college itself
