Teaching methods in the biological sciences

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of this report has been to attempt to present an "ideal" method of introducing the sciences to the high school students of today. One of the difficulties in trying to reach tenable conclusions regarding the aims of science instruction in the modern school lies in the fact that, at present, we have no means of evaluating such statements made by educators and others. The paper presents first, a review or the procedures used in organizing and constructing the ideal science classroom, the equipment, storage facilities, classroom arrangement, etc. Secondly, the paper presents a complete course in Botany, using this branch of science as a model course, in which the method of presentation is the important factor. It is presented in hopes that any of the sciences could be substituted and presented in the same manner.

Findings and Conclusions: The high school instructors of today are placing entirely too much emphasis on "cramming" terms and figures into the student or requiring extensive, unnecessary memorization of technical information. Instead, teachers should attempt to present the basic information, taking first, each part and becoming familiar with its structure and functions as a single unit and then as a part of a complete system.

If this job were done effectively by the present day high school teachers, and the technical training were left to the colleges and universities, our children would finish school with something more than just a diploma . They would finish with an understanding far superior to any educational system that has yet been devised.