From: Peter Wilding (pwilding_97@yahoo.com)
Date: Thu Feb 06 2003 - 11:26:21 PST
Message-ID: <20030206192621.30512.qmail@web13808.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2003 11:26:21 -0800 (PST) From: Peter Wilding <pwilding_97@yahoo.com> Subject: RE: Science teaching in the UK
Paul's, (and others), comments about teaching the
sciences in the UK were correct and have impications
for us here. Students really reach a greater
proficiency if they follow a subject for several years
and understand that they are expected to retain that
infomation. Students understand that in math, why not
in science?
I taught in the UK for eight years before coming to
the US and can say students going to university in a
science area have typically had seven years of courses
in all sciences each year. They specialize in the last
two years, to the detriment of their social studies,
languages and other learning, and are therefore
programmed for the sciences when they arrive at
University. There are no undeclared majors!
We at San Rafael HS taught a coordinated program for
about seven years in the 1990's. One of the major
barriers to implementing and maintaining the program
was recruiting teachers who had a background in all
the sciences. This, together with changes in the State
Standands, led us to pull back from the cutting(and
bleeding) edge of reform to a more traditional
curriculum.
The 90's movement towards coordinating and integrating
the sciences was led by the NSTA and particularly Bill
Aldridge and was funded by the NSF. It was
particularly taken up and implemented here in
California, spearheaded by Tom Sachse of the CDE . The
East Coast perceived it as a bit of a wacky California
thing. I wonder if it would have gained more momentum
if it had originated in an East Coast state?
Peter Wilding
San Rafael HS
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