WINGS FOR A DINOSAUR

Leyden note:

these pages are condensed from a pamplet of the above name published by Science Education Center--University of Oklahoma. The "metaphor" is that schools (like dinosaurs) -- are going to be extinct if we don't do something. Many years ago the authors of this article were my teachers.

new scientific discoveries and their application are frequently reported through the news media. . . and a collection of headlines might read as follows:

1902: NOBELIST: "ALL LAWS OF PHYSICS ARE DISCOVERED"

1903: RESPECTED SCIENTIST SCOFFS AT HEAVIER THAN AIR FLIGHT

1949: RECENT ARTICLE PROVES MANNED MOON FLIGHT IMPOSSIBLE

1960: ARE CYCLAMATES HARMLESS? ASKS SCIENTISTS

the first two headlines were proven false almost immediately by persons who either had not read them or who did not believe them. Manned moon flight required an extension of technolgy greater than that imagined by the authors of the 1949 article . . .

but scientists are supposed to be objective! They are supposed to base their conclusions on experiments and the logical application of basic theory. How is it then that science is awarded such a prominent position in the school curriculum if scientific conclusions are so rapidly outdated? . . .each generation studies science far differently than their parents studied. . . has the art of science teaching conquered the apparently built-in obsolescence of the content students study?

a perfectly logical way to develop an understanding of why science and other subjects are taught is to examine HOW it is taught and determine FROM those observations the OBJECTIVES of the teacher in the school system. IS THIS THE WAY?

LECTURE ...

this method carries with it the IMPLICATION that there is a certain collection of information, ideas, concepts and facts which are essential to the student's being truly literate in that particular area.

... take the way that the law of levers is taught in JHS. Being aware that visual aids are quite important, the teacher probably ...

diagrams a first class lever on the board --

labels the parts --

indicates with arrows & diagrams of a small weight where the force is to be applied . . .

The student is expected to learn what the terms "force" and "weight" imply -- what a fulcrum is -- and that (Fe) x (e) + (Fr) x (r).

no learning can be complete unless some understanding is demonstrated on the part of the student. The objective test is often used as a means by which understanding, developed through lecture, can be evaluated. The answers that students provide on these tests are cited as evidence that he has LEARNED.

DEMONSTRATION --

the principal IMPLICATION underlying the classroom demonstration is that there are certain phenomena which should be observed by all students.

This is a method by which the students may observe these phenomena when one of the following apply:

the student is not capable of using the equipment
there is not enough equipment to go around
it would take too much time to let each student do it.

Consider the teacher who wants to show the students that the muscles of the body are controlled by the discharge of electrical energy along the nerve ganglia. . . the teacher administers an electric shock to a freshly killed frog . . .all day long. By 7th period, the frog will no longer move, and the demonstration "doesn't work". Even if a new frog is used each period, the TEACHER is the ONLY ONE having the experience of INTERACTING WITH THE MATERIALS!

LABORATORY --

this method of teaching science is the scource of most teachers throughout the country because:

there isn't enough time to set up equipment
there isn't enough money to purchase enough equipment.

The principal IMPLICATIONS underlying the lab approach are:

"If the students would simply follow the instructions, they would get the
correct results and there would be no problems."
developing technical laboratory skills.

This implies that there are skills that can be nurtured by using a lab manual (cookbook). This book allows students to fill in blanks with correct answers obtained from the proper performance of his experiment as directed in the manual. The instruction to calculate percent of error shows that emphasis of the exercise is to get the RIGHT ANSWER. In fact, you can be wrong -- by a little bit -- but if you are wrong by a big bit -- do the lab over again. Thus the evidence is clear that CERTAIN IMPLICATIONS underlie the teaching of science.

These are ...
There are certain facts, ideas and concepts to be gained
there are certain phenomena that students should observe (the
teacher demonstrates)
there is a necessity to learn basic laboratory skills to
verify existing rules.

DO THESE IMPLICATIONS, however, represent objectives for the study of science?

AN ALTERNATIVE

science education was given top priority in the 60's when national goals and objectives were established. Perhaps the most outstanding goal of science education was to develop scientific literacy.

* What is scientific literacy? * What is there about science that can contribute to the education of children?

in "The Central Purposes of American Education", the Educational Policies Commission states that the major responsibility of the school is to foster that development of individual capacities which will enable each human being to become the best person he is capable of being. This can be accomplished by developing the ten rational powers.

These are:

recalling and imagining

classifying and generalizing

comparing and evaluating

analyzing and synthesizing

deducing and inferring.

Science IS concerned with many facts, natural laws and a variety of subject matter; HOWEVER, one aspect of the discipline that is common to all aspects of science is INQUIRY. Inquiry means to ask, to search or to probe -- it is the ACTION of science. Scientific inquiry involves critical thinking or problem solving -- i.e. the development and use of one's rational powers.

the EPC has also stated in the Spirit of Science that the values of science are:
learning to know and to understand
questioning of all things
search for data and their meaning
demand for verification
respect for logic
consideration of premise

consideration of consequences.

a scientifically literate person, then, should possess a command of the rational powers and understand, appreciate and demonstrate the spirit of science.

The OBJECTIVES of science education for ALL educational levels, therefore, must be: The learner will ...

develop / demonstrate their ability and confidence to inquire
develop / demonstrate a command of the 10 rational powers
develop an understanding of the changing nature of his
environment in terms of matter, life, energy and their
interaction.

the accomplishment of these objectives would INSURE that he will continue to learn after leaving school, but there is an OBVIOUS QUESTION. Do the present procedures of teaching science accomplish these objectives?

does listening to a lecture ...

lead a learner to develop the ability to analyze, synthesize and generalize?

does following instructions in a lab manual ... develop a student's ability & confidence to inquire?

does learning FeZe = FrYr, and electricity stimulates the ganglia ...

lead to an understanding of matter, life, energy and their interaction?

in order to achieve the objectives of science for the present as well as future generations the inquiry method of teaching must become dominant. The objectivs of science education can ONLY BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH BOTH the student and teacher are actively engaged in classrooom activities which are inquiry oriented INQUIRY, INVESTIGATIONS ENABLE THE STUDENT TO SERVE THAT FUNCTION IN THE CLASSROOM. These inquiry type situations enable the individual to develop his rational powers, but he MUST BE GIVEN THE FREEDOM to investigate and form hypotheses by analyzing, etc.

THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER is not that of a source of correct information; rather he provides clues, asks questions, gives encouragement, and offers advices if a student "hits the panic button" while investigating.

TIME WOULD NOT have to be considered as a major factor in the investigations. The students must have time to explore the problem being considered and the materials available to be used in its solution. Time is necessary for the student and teacher to interact to facilitate the invention of concepts. Time must be provided for the student to again interact with materials to discover the applicability and meaning of the concept. Such time allotments are not now allowed in present school situations.

not only do students develop his rational powers in an inquiry centered classroom but their confidence increases as he begins to form their own ideas instead of using only those given by the teacher. With this self-assurance, students can search for understanding and use those abilities that will enable them to meet any situation in life, and the development of the ability to meet and function in any situation in life, as we beieve, the primary reason the taxpayers support the schools.

CHANGES TO BE MADE

instruction in inquiry teaching should be REQUIRED IMMEDIATELY in all TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS and all persons currently involved in education should have an in-service or summer experience in inquiry instruction. The entive system, from K to Post graduate school should be restructured to accent inquiry approaches... professors of education must use this method and discontinue TELLING students how to teach. Pre-service teachers should be required to observe and teach inquiry-oriented classes much before they begin student teaching.

IN FACT, IF PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS HAVE NOT HAD A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF EXPERIENCE IN PRE-COLlEGIATE CLASSROOMS BEFORE THEY STUDENT TEACH, THAT EXPERIENCE IS OF minimal value AND IS PROBABLY MORE ritualistic THAN instructional.

College students must have experience with children who are learning by inquiry, during every year of their college years.

administrators must support ... changes ... and those who now judge the performance of the teacher by the amount of silence and lack of student-student interaction in the room must replace those values with ones consistent with inquiry.

THEE goals of our present educational system reflect the expectation of society and achieving those goals often tend to mold the learner for the existing society. Such a procedure is inadequate for solving today's problems, and the future poses even more serious threats. Means of counteracting those threats cannot be found in the schools of yesterday. But where can the annswers and means be found? Perhaps the following articles may help you to formulate your own oppinions.

THIS is the end of the article, "wings for a dinosaur", but there are three other articles in the booklet which introduces the reader to programs in science education at elementary -- JHS -- SHS levels -- if you need other references.