BIOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE CURRICULA FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Abstract
High school science curricula has to include side by side science-technology content knowledge as well as pedagogical content knowledge in a continuous interaction in order to answer issues of relevancy of both of them to students' needs.
Two main roles of science education for high schools students will be addressed, so science curricula will be adequate for the 21st century.
1.The role of Science Technology Society (STS) learning units, which have to use specific teaching/learning strategies, and specific learning settings, so students will acquire science-technology literacy connected to societal issues, which can facilitate their integration and participation in our advance society and will be able to find a job based on their learning
2.The role of moral education, values and attitudes via acquiring knowledge in science content knowledge as Dreyfus (1995) emphasized that "biological knowledge is a prerequisite for the development of students' values and attitudes.
Science knowledge role is not only for academic achievement and mastery of cognitive and meta- cognitive skills, but to educate students on the affective domain being active in the community life based on moral values and positive attitudes toward societal issues, like social justice, preservation of the environment and peace, the last two being addressed due to the fact of having a mutual impact connection in one of the STS learning unit presented in continuation.
References
Abrami, P. C., Poulsen, C. & Chambers, B., (2004), Teacher Motivation to Implement an Educational Innovation: Factors Differentiating Users and Non-Users of Cooperative Learning. Educational Psychology, 24, 2, 201-216.
Anderson, S.L (2003). Teaching today’s students how to examine ethical issues and be more actively involved in the learning process, Journal of Academic Publishers, 1(2), 189-198.
Aronson, E., Stephan, C., Sikes, J., Blaney, N. & Snapp, M. (1978), The Jigsaw Classroom, Sage Publication, Beverly Hills, CA
Bloom,B.S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: the classification of educational goals. London: Longmans.
Bybee, R W; Harms, N; Ward, B. & Yager R. (1980). Science society and science education. Science Education 64 (3), 377-395.
Bryant, J. A. (2002). Why I believe that all biology degrees study should include a module in bioethics. Times Higher Education Supplement, May 17, 2002, p. 14.
Bryant, J. A.and Baggott la Velle L. M. (2003). A bioethics course for biology and science education students. Journal of Biological Education, 37(2), 91-95.
Conner, N. L (2000,a). Inquiry, discourse and metacognition: Promoting students’ learning in a bioethical context. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Research in Science Teaching, (NARST), New Orleans, April 24 to May 1. LO, USA.
Conner, N. L. (2000,b). Societal issues: Recommendations for teaching in science and technology. Pacific Asian Education, 12 (1), 19-30.
Conner, N. L. (2000,c). The significance of an approach to the teaching of societal issues related to biotechnology. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), New Orleans, April 24-28, 2000.
Dawson,V. (1998). Establishing open and critical discourses in the science classroom: Reflecting on initial difficulties. Research in Science Education, 28 (3), 317-336.
Dewey, J. (1927). The school and society. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
Dreyfus, A. (1995). Biological knowledge as a prerequisite for the development of values and attitudes. Journal of Biological Education, 29 (3), 215-219.
Farmer, W.A. & Farrell, M.A. (1980). Systematic instruction in science for the middle and high school years. Reading, Mass.: Addison Wesley.
Fuller, F.F. & Parson, F.J. (1969), Concerns of teachers: A developmental conceptualization. American Educational Research Journal, 6, 207-220.
Gershon, H,.(1993). Ethic in life sciences. In Halevi, E. A. and Kohn, D. (Eds.), Technology and Ethics, Proceedings of the Whizin International Symposium , IIT, Technion, Haifa, Israel, 37-42.
Gillies, R, M & Ashman, A, (Eds.). (2003). Co-Operative Learning: The Social and Intellectual Outcomes of Learning in Groups. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Hertz-Lazarowitz, R. (1992). Understanding students interactive behavior:Looking at six mirrors of the classroom. In R. Hertz-Lazarowitz, & N. Miller (Eds.) Interaction in cooperative groups. New-York: Cambridge University Press, 71,102.
Gilbert, R. & Hoepper, B. (1996). The place of values. In R. Gilbert (Ed.). Studying society and the environment: A Handbook for teachers. (pp. 59-79). Mac Millan Publishing Company. Melbourne:
Gottlieb, S. F., (1976). Teaching ethical issues in biology. The American Biology Teacher, March, 148-149.
Hertz-Lazarowitz, R. (2005).Cooperative Learning in Israel. IASCE Newsletters. http://www.iasce.net
Hertz-Lazarowitz, R. (2008). Beyond the classroom and into the community: The role of the teacher in expanding the pedagogy of cooperation. In; Robyn Gillis (Ed). Thinking and Learning during Cooperative Learning. London: Rutledge Farmer (37-54).
Hughes, G., (2000). Marginalization of socio-scientific material in science-technology –society science curricula: Some implications for gender inclusivity and curricula reform. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37 (5), 426-440.
Khalil, Mahmood. (2002). a). Microorganisms, a STS learning unit (in Arabic. p.
, in Hebrew, p. 116). b)Teachers’ handbook: Microorganisms, in Arabic, 76 pages, in Hebrew, 76 pages. Haifa, Israel: Haifa, Israel: The Israel Science Teaching Center and the R&D Institute, IIT, Technion.
Khalil. M. (2007). Teaching the Microorganisms learning unit: Academic achievements and attitudes toward environment and peace of 9th grade students. Journal of Stellar Peacemaking, 2 (2), 1-26.
Khalil, M., Lazarowitz, R. & Hertz-Lazarowitz, R., (2009). A conceptual model, the six mirrors of the classroom and its' application to teaching and learning about microorganisms. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 18, 85-100.
Layton, D. (1993). Technology challenge to science education: Open University Press.
Lipman, M. (1991). Thinking in education. Cambridge University Press
Lazarowitz, R. (2000). Research in science, content knowledge structure, and secondary school curricula. Israel Journal of Plant Science, 48,229-238.
Lazarowitz, R. & Ilit Bloch. (2006) Awareness of Societal Issues Among High School Biology Teachers Teaching Genetics. Journal of Science Education and Technology. USA. 14(5/6), 437-457.
Lazarowitz, R.,& Hertz-Lazarowitz, R. (1998). Cooperative learning in science curriculum. In B.J. Fraser & K.G. Tobin (Eds.), International handbook of science education (pp. 449-471). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Lazarowitz, R., & Karsenty, G. (1990). Cooperative leaning and students' self esteem. in tenth grade Biology classroom. In: Sharan, S. (1990). (Ed.). Cooperative Learning : Theory and Research. New York: Praeger publisher, 123-149
Lazarowitz, R. & Tamir, P. (1994). Research on using laboratory instruction in science. In D. Gabel (Ed.). Handbook of Research in Science Teaching and Learning. The Macmillan Publishing Comp. N.Y., USA, 3, 94-128
Macer, D. (1994). Introduction to bioethics: Supplementary bioethics Teaching notes. Ibaraki, Japan: Eubios Ethics Institute.
Muller-Hill, B., (1998). Murderous science, elimination by scientific selection of Jews, Gypsies and others in Germany, 1933-1945. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Plainview.
Nachshon, M. (2000). Ionizing radiation. The biological effects and uses (p. 153). Haifa, Israel: The Israel Science Teaching Center and the R&D Institute, IIT, Technion.
Ron, S. & Lazarowitz, R..(1995). Learning Environment and Academic Achievement of High School Students Who Learned Evolution in a Cooperative Mode. The Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, NARST, San Francisco, CA.USA, April 22-25.
Rosenthal, D.B. (1984). Social issues in high school biology textbooks: 1963-1983. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 21(8), 819-831.
Rubba, P., McGuyer, M. & Wahlund, T. (1991). The effects of infusing STS vignettes into the genetics unit of biology on learner outcomes in STS and genetics: A Report of two investigations. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 28 (6), 537-552.
Sabar-Ben Jeshua, N(1997). The qualitative research in teaching and learning. Massada, Givataim, Israel. (pp. 32 and 95, in Hebrew).
Sharan, S. & Hertz Lazarowitz, R. (1986). Kooperatives Lehren. In: A. Weber (Hrsg) Kooperatives Lehren und Lernen in die Schule. Agentur Dieck, Heinsberg, West Germany, pp. 201 222.
Watson, D. J., (2000). A Passion for DNA: Genes, genomes and society. Five days in Berlin, pp. 209- 222, 1997. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Plainview, New York.
Witenoff, S. & Lazar Zohar, A. and Nenet, F. (2002) Fostering students’ knowledge and argumentation skills through dilemmas in human genetics, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39(1), 35-62.
