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HIGH-SCHOOt BIOLOGY
TODAY AND TOMORROW
Papers Presented at a Conference
WALTER G. ROSEN, EDITOR
Committee on High-School Biology Education
Board on Biology
Commission on Life Sciences
National Research Council
NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C. 1989
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National Academy Press . 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. . Washington, D.C. 20418
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing
Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of
the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute
of Medicine. The members of the committee~responsible for the report were chosen for
their special competence and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to
procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National
Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of
distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the
furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the
authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate
that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr.
Frank Press is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The conference High-School Biology: Today and Tomorrow was organized by the
Board on Biology of the National Research Council's Commission on Life Sciences. The
views in this book are solely those of the individual authors and are not necessarily the
views of its sponsors.
Support for the publication of these papers was provided by the Howard Hughes
Medical Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
High-school biology: today and tomorrow / Committee on High-School
Biology Education, Board on Biology, Commission on Life Sciences,
National Research Council.
p. cm.
Papers from a conference held Oct. 1988, in Washington, D.C.
ISBN 0-309-04028-0
1. Biology Study and teaching (Secondary)- Congresses.
I. National Research Council (U.S.~. Committee on High-School
Biology Education.
QH315.H615
574'.071/2-dc20
89-13141
CIP
Copyright ~ 1989 by the National Academy of Sciences
No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic
process, or in the form of a phonographic recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval
system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public or private use, without written permission
from the publisher, except for the purposes of official use by the U.S. government.
Cover photos: (top) Photograph by James Sherwood; (bottom) Microphotograph of the
alga, Volvox aureus. Courtesy, National Science Teachers Association.
Printed in the United States of America
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COMMITTEE ON
HIGH-SCHOOL BIOLOGY EDUCATION
TIMOTHY H. GOLDSMITH (Chairman), Yale University, New Haven,
Connecticut
CLIFTON POODRY Mice Chairman), University of California, Santa
Cruz, California
R. STEPHEN BERRY,* University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
RALPH E. CHRISTOLLL;RSEN, Smith Kline and French Laboratories,
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
JANE BUTLER KAH[LE,* Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
MARC KIRSCHNER, University of California, San Francisco, California
JOHN ~ MOORE, University of California, Riverside, California
DONNA OLIVER,* Elon College, Elon College, North Carolina
JONATHAN PIEL, Scientific American, New York, New York
JAMES T. ROBINSON,* Boulder, Colorado
MARY BUDD ROWE, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
JANE SISK, Calloway County High School, Murray, Kentucly
DAVID T. SUZUKI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada
WILMA TONEY, Manchester High School, Manchester, Connecticut
DANIEL B. WALKER, San Jose State University, San Jose, California
Special Advisors
JOHN HARTE, University of California, Berkeley, California
PAUL DEHART HURD, Palo Alto, California
Former Members
EVELYN E. HANDLER (Chairman, 1987-1988), Brandeis University,
Waltham, Massachusetts
MICHAEL H. ROBINSON (1987-1988), National Zoological Park,
Washington, D.C.
National Research Council Staff
JOHN E. BURRIS, Study Director
DONNA M. GERARDI, Sta~Associate
WALTER G. ROSEN, Consultant
NORMAN GROSSBLATT, Editor
LINDA D. JONES, Senior Secretary
* Member, Conference Program Committee
· . -
111
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BOARD ON BIOLOGY
FRANCISCC) J. AYALA (Chairman), University of California, Irvine,
California
NINA ~ FEDOROFF, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Baltimore,
Maryland
TIMOTHY H. GOLDSMITH, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
RALPH W. F. HARDY, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
ERNEST G. JAWORSKI, Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Missouri
SIMON A. LEVIN, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
HAROLD A. MOONEY, Stanford University, Stanford, California
HAROLD J. MOROWITZ, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
MARY LOU PARDUE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Cambridge, Massachusetts
WILLIAM E. PAUL, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
DAVID D. SABATINI, New York University, New York, New York
MICHAEL E. SOULE, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
MALCOLM S. STEINBERG, Princeton University, Princeton, New
Jersey
DAVID B. WAKE, University of California, Berkeley, California
BRUCE M. ALBERTS (er officio), University of California, San
Francisco, California
National Research Council Staff
JOHN E. BURRIS, Director
1V
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COMMISSION ON LIFE SCIENCES
BRUCE M. ALBERTS (Chairman), University of California, San
Francisco, California
PERRY L. ADKISSON, Texas A&M University System, College Station,
Texas
FRANCISCO J. AYALA, University of California, Irvine, California
J. MICHAEL BISHOP, G. W. Hooper Research Foundation, San
Francisco, California
FREEMAN J. DYSON, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New
Jersey
NINA ~ FEDOROFF, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Baltimore,
Maryland
RALPH W. F. HARDY, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
RICHARD J. HAVEL, School of Medicine, University of California, San
Francisco, California
LEROY E. HOOD, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena,
California
DONALD F. HORNIG, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston,
Massachusetts
ERNEST G. JAWORSKI, Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Missouri
SIMON ~ LEVIN, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
HAROLD ~ MOONEY, Stanford University, Stanford, California
STEVEN P. PAKES, Southwestern Medical School (University of Texas),
Dallas, Texas
JOSEPH E. RALL, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
RICHARD D. REMINGTON, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
PAUL G. RISSER, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
RICHARD B. SETLOW, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New
York
TORSTEN N. WIESEL, Rockefeller University, New York, New York
National Research Council Staff
JOHN E. BURRIS, E'cecut~ve Director
v
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V1
PREFACE
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under
the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organiza-
tion of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and
in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of
Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The Na-
tional Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed
at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and rec-
ognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is
president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National
Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appro-
priate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the
health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the
National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser
to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of
medical care, research, and education. Dr. Samuel O. Thier is president of
the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Acade-
my of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and
technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and ad-
vising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general
policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the princi-
pal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the
National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government,
the public, and scientific and engineering communities. The Council is
administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr.
Frank Press and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice chairman,
respectively, of the National Research Council.
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Preface
In the spring of 1988, the Board on Biology and its parent body, the
Commission on Life Sciences of the National Research Council, initiated
a study of the state of high-school biology education. The recognition that
things are amiss had been developing for some time, and the legal disputes
over the teaching of evolution several years ago had sharpened the Board's
sense of the complexity of the problem. The timely and generous financial
support of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute allowed this study to
begin.
The Committee on High-School Biology Education, consisting of sci-
entists and educators, is undertaking the study, and its report will be issued
soon. One of the committee's first tasks was to organize a conference to
provide extensive background information that would inform its delibera-
tions. A program committee identified general subjects to be addressed:
objectives of biology education and measurement of achievement, cur-
riculum perspectives and content, instructional procedures and materials,
teacher preparation, institutional barriers, and implementation. Each was
examined by a panel of speakers. Each panel was chaired by a committee
member, who provided brief opening comments. The goal of the confer-
ence, held in October 1988, was so effectively realized that we feel that the
papers given should be available to a wider audience; they appear in this
volume as given at the conference, lightly edited for consistency of presen-
tation. The papers embody the research and opinions of their authors and
do not reflect the opinions or judgments of the Committee on High-School
Biology Education or the National Research Council.
· -
V11
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· . .
V111
PREFACE
Invitations to attend the conference were extended to teachers and
administrators from across the country, and many teachers traveled consid-
erable distance at their own expense to attend. On behalf of the committee,
I would like to acknowledge the devotion and professionalism exhibited by
that sacrifice. Whatever the failings of our educational system (and, as
this volume attests, the failings are many), there is a cadre of dedicated
teachers who remain our best hope for change.
In organizing the conference, we indicated our wish to hear not only
from panelists, but also from the audience. In addition, the audience was
invited to submit written comments to the committee for consideration
after the conference. By the middle of the first day, it had become clear
that insufficient time had been allotted for audience participation, and
the ensuing spontaneous and heartfelt demonstration of frustration from
many of the teachers in the audience stimulated us to adjust the schedule.
Unfortunately, this volume cannot reflect the long and fruitful evening
shared by teachers and members of the committee, starting with dinner
and not ending for many of us until the following morning. That informal
session punctuated dramatically- and in a manner that cannot be conveyed
by chapters in a book not only the smothering conditions under which
many teachers work, but the dedication and imagination that the very best
teachers still manage to bring to their profession.
Walter Rosen recruited the speakers according to the objectives out-
lined by the program committee. Donna Gerardi, Barbara Christensen,
and Linda Jones provided essential planning and logistical support, and
Norman Grossblatt and Walter Rosen prepared the papers for publication.
Since the conference in October 1988, Evelyn Handler, the committee's
original chair, has found it necessary to resign from the committee, and I
have replaced her. We all thank her for her early stewardship of the study,
which was so well launched with the conference.
Timothy H. Goldsmith, Chairman
Committee on High-School Biology Education
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Contents
PAdRT I
O PE NIN G AdDDFUESS ACID FUESP O N SES
1 OPENING ADDRESS 3
Evelyn E. Handler
2 CHANGING CONCEPTIONS OF THE LEARNER:
IMPLICATIONS FOR BIOLOGY TEACHING ........
Audrey B. Champagne
3 LITERACY, NUMERACY, AND GLOBAL ECOLOGY 17
John Harte
4 "ALL IS FOR THE BEST IN THE BEST OF
POSSIBLE WORLDS."
Archie E. Lapointe
THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION IN MEDICINE:
IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHERS OF
HIGH-SCHOOL BIOLOGY
Janet D. Rowley
HIGH-SCHOOL BIOLOGY TRAINING:
A PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYER'S VIEW
Harvey S. Sadow
IX
..10
.21
....30
...37
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x
PART II
OBJECTIVES OF BIOLOGY EDUCATION AND
MEASUREMENT OF ACHIEVEMENT
7 ISSUES IN OBJECTIVES AND EVALUATION.......
James 1: Robinson
8 ASSESSING STUDENT UNDERSTANDING OF
BIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS.......................
Charles W Anderson
9 THE ADVANCED-PLACEMENT BIOLOGY
EXAMINATION: ITS RATIONALE, DEVELOPMENT,
STRUCTURE,AND RESULTS........
Walter B. MacDonald
10 THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTEREST IN SCIENCE.
Jon D. Miller
11 WHAT HIGH-SCHOOL JUNIORS KNOW ABOUT
BIOLOGY: PERSPECTIVES FROM NAEP,
THE NATION'S REPORT CARD ..................
Ina~S.Mullis
12 THE NABT-NSTA HIGH-SCHOOL BIOLOGY
EXAMINATION: ITS DESIGN AND RATIONALE
Barbara Schulz
PART III
CURRICULUM: PERSPECTIVES AND CONTENT
13 THE EVOLUTION OF BIOLOGY AND ADAPTATION
OF THE CURRICULUM ...............................
Timothy H. Goldsmith
14 HUMAN ECOLOGY: RESTORING LIFE TO THE
BIOLOGY CURRICULUM ..........................
Joseph D. Mclnerney
15 DEVELOPING A SYNTHESIS BETWEEN
SEVENTH-GRADELIFE SCIENCE AND
TENTH-GRADE BIOLOGY.................
Wayne A. Mayer
16 BIOLOGY EDUCATION: ASKING THE RIGHT
QUESTIONS ........
Frances S. Vandervoort
CONTENTS
......... 45
..... 55
......... 71
..79
............. 91
.100
.. 113
.......... 117
..... 131
.. .139
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CONTENTS
PART IV
INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES AND MATERIALS
17 TO WEED OR CULTIVATE WHICH? .......................
Mary Budd Rowe
18 BIOLOGY LEARNING BASED ON ILLUSTRATIONS........
Robert ~ Blystone
19 TEACHING HIGH-SCHOOL BIOLOGY: MATERIALS AND
STRATEGIES ..................................................
Rodger ~ Bybee
20 A NEW KIND OF MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
AS AN INSTRUMENT OF INFORMAL HIGH-SCHOOL
EDUCATION IN BIOLOGY..................................
E. Kay Davis
21 MESSING ABOUT IN SCIENCE: PARTICIPATION,
NOT MEMORIZATION ..................
Candace L. Julyan
PART V
TEACHER PREPARATION
22 BIOLOGY TEACHER EDUCATION: PANACEA
OR PITFALL.......
Jane Butler Kahle
23 PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS FOR HIGH-SCHOOL
BIOLOGY.............................................
Alphonse Buccino
24 BIOLOGY TEACHER TRAINING: PREPARING
STUDENTSFOR TOMORROW.............................
Patricia C. Dung
25 STANDARDS FOR THE PREPARATION AND
CERTIFICATION OF BIOLOGY TEACHERS . . .
William C. Rid
26 CURRENT ISSUES IN BIOLOGY EDUCATION FOR
TEACHERS ...........................................
Elsie C. Ryder
xi
151
155
65
. 178
.... 184
....... 197
......... 201
. 213
219
.234
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· .
X11
CONTENTS
PART VI
ACCOMPLISHING CURRICULAR CHANGES INSTITUTIONAL
BARRIERS
27 EDUCATIONAL REFORM? ARE WE SERIOUS?
NO, BUT WE HAD BETTER BE.................
John ~ Moore
28 INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO SCHOOL CHANGE.......
Peter ~ Airasian
29 STATE POLICY TOOLS FOR EDUCATIONAL REFORM
BARRIERS OR LEVERS FOR CHANGE? ...............
Jane Armstrong
30 DILLL;RENT SCHOOLS: SAME BARRIERS
Grace S. Taylor
.. .. .
Part VII
Accomplishing Cumcular Changes' Implementation
31 PROBLEMS AND ISSUES IN SCIENCE-CURRICULUM
REFORM AND IMPLEMENTATION
Paul DeHart Hurd
32 CHANGING PRACTICE IN HIGH SCHOOLS:
A PROCESS, NOT AN EVENT
Gene E. Hall
CHANGE IN SCHOOLS: A CONTEXT FOR ACTION
Deborah Muscella
34 CREATING AND NURTURING CURRICULUM CHANGES:
SOME MODELS THAT SPEAK TO THE FUTURE 324
Francis M. Pottenger III
.245
.252
266
278
...... 291
. . 298
..... 313
INDEX . .
.. 337
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HIGH-SCHOOI BIOIOGY
TODAYAND TOMORROW
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