Project Five

The goal of this project is to familiarize the prospective teacher with 1) existent standards for the biology classroom, and 2) some of the federal, state and foundation supported projects for the enhancement of the science teacher or science teaching.

Resources 1 Resources 2

We live in a society where the public schools are impacted to varing degrees by national, state, and local government activities. Philanthropic foundations have also had an impact on our educational system, as have private industries. Numerous initiatives have been developed to raise the quality of the educational experience. Some have meet with greater success and acceptance than have others. During this project we would like to get acquainted with some of these efforts.

Part I:

Working in your small group, go to the [Project Five Resource Page] and locate the newly released National Science Education Standards that have been developed largely through the efforts of the National Research Council. They can be read on-line or purchased hard-copy. Working in your small group write down some answers to the following questions about the Standards:

1) Why write national standards anyway? What can we hope to obtain by having standards? Some people have protested the stardards as an attempt to make all educational programs the same. Is this a valid criticism?

2) What general areas do the national standards address?

3) Identify some common threads or themes throughout the standards.

4) What effect do you think these standards will have on your actions in the biology classroom?

Part II:

Working individually, choose one government, foundation, or private program designed to improve science education in schools. Thoroughly inform yourself about this initiative and prepare a five to ten minute presentation for the class in which you introduce us to the merits of the program. You may choose either a study conducted in which the state of the educational system was assessed or an initiative to introduce new information, methods, or technology into the schools. For example, you could introduce the class to ERIC, or you could review the NRC's publication Fulfilling the Promise: Biology Education in the Nation's Schools, or you could summarize the contribution of the Howard Hughes Institute to science education. Get the idea?