Curriculum change
For specific notes on physics curriculum, please see How physics educators shape the content of their curriculum.
In Science Curriculum Reform in the United States, Rodger W. Bybee summarizes some differences between science curriculum reforms in the 1950s and 60s, and the 1990s. [1]
Contents
Equipment can be the vanguard of curriculum change
Nanoscale science, spectroscopy, electronics, and bio-technology are examples of modern fields influencing preparatory curriculum with fancy equipment. Secondary schools are buying electrophoresis equipment, computer-based spectroscopes, semiconductors, and other lab equipment that is not suited to teaching content from before these fields' existence. High-achieving students are going to college from school districts with impressive research science budgets, partly focused on regional and national science and engineering student competitions.
Consider this workshop description from AAPT's winter 2011 meeting:[2]
- Hands-On Activities Exploring Nanoscale Science Investigations in Pre-High School Classrooms
- Author: Kandiah Manivannan, Dept. of Physics, Astronomy, and Materials Science, Missouri State University
- Co-Author(s): Anjali Manivannan, Bryan E Breyfogle, Kartik C Ghosh
- Abstract: The fast-growing interdisciplinary field of nanoscience and nanotechnology is still in its infancy, and science education research findings and curricular developments are still emerging. One nanometer is about one hundred thousand times smaller than the diameter of human hair, and at the nano-level we begin to see the intimate connections among the STEM disciplines. Appropriately integrating hands-on nanoscience activities into school classrooms is expected to have outcomes such as supporting inquiry-based teaching and learning, increased interest and engagement in learning science, and enhanced understanding of core science and nanoscale STEM concepts and applications. We present some inquiry-based hands-on activities using paper models and plastic building blocks, and discuss other activities suitable for pre-high school students. We will assemble models to simulate some of the unique properties of nanoparticles. Finally, we will present preliminary results of pre- and post-Nano Concept Inventory assessments given to pre-service teachers.
Widespread use of computers could change the order of math curriculum, Stephen Wolfram suggests.[3] Because we can ask computers to do complex calculations for us, instead of basing the sequence of math lessons on the complexity of calculations, it could be based on the complexity of concepts of the whole problem.
The interdisciplinary force for curriculum change
Interdisciplinary forces, the needs of other fields for expertise in physics, or the interchange of ideas between disciplines, moves the curriculum offered to students away from "pure physics." Consider this workshop description from AAPT's winter 2011 meeting:[4]
- Continuum Mechanics: A Return to the Curriculum:
- Author:Invited - Michael Dennin, University of California, Irvine
- Abstract:The graduate physics curriculum is pretty much the same everywhere, and has been that way since the 1950s. The center pieces are courses in classical mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and statistical physics. Though successful in training academic physicists, it is not necessarily the ideal curriculum for the cross-disciplinary nature of many current research areas or non-academic career paths. I will discuss an interdisciplinary graduate program at University of California, Irvine that is based on three main elements: a summer experience, special mathematics training, and changes to the traditional core courses. Especially interesting is the replacement of traditional classical mechanics with a course in continuum mechanics. I will argue that continuum mechanics serves multiple functions in the graduate curriculum and is ideal for cross-disciplinary work.
The move towards habits, away from topics
Researchers are investigating how curriculum can be centered around the development of characteristics of professionals, often called "habits of mind," rather than organized by topic. For example see the Changing Curriculum, Changing Practice project funded by NSF (2010).[5]
See Eight Plus One, from Michigan State, for a reduction of required topics in all K-12 science: http://8plus1science.org/
Also see Concepts first or practices first.
Curriculum change as school reform
New York City has created the iZone, i for innovation, with a focus on individualizing instruction *and* curriculum.[6]
References
- ↑ http://nationalacademies.org/rise/backg3a.htm
- ↑ http://www.aapt.org/scheduler/wm2011/
- ↑ http://www.ted.com/talks/conrad_wolfram_teaching_kids_real_math_with_computers.html
- ↑ http://www.aapt.org/scheduler/wm2011/
- ↑ http://nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=1019945&WT.z_pims_id=500047
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15358964
