Curriculum Reform Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s
Chapter 8: History of Ideas in Science Education
Amanda Johnson & Mandi Brooks
• America had an unmet need for scientists and engineers in WWII
• Soviet launch of Sputnik in October 1957
• Perceived threat to national security brought on by the Cold War
How did we get here?
• Shift in education from social relevance to traditional rigor
• During the mid 1950’s, the NSF (funded by the federal government) financially supported several curriculum projects
• Provide a set of curriculum materials of high quality and considerable appeal
• Prepare students for entering into college science programs
Projects funded by the NSF…• PHYSICS: Physical Science Study Committee- 1956
• BIOLOGY: Biological Sciences Curriculum Study- 1959
• CHEMISTRY: Chemical Bond Approach Project- 1957Chemical Education Material Study- 1959
• EARTH SCIENCE: Secondary School Project- 1966Earth Science Curriculum Project- 1967
• PHYSICAL SCIENCE: Introductory Physical Science- 1967
• ELEMENTARY SCIENCE: Science- A Process Approach- 1967Study Elementary Science Study – 1969Science Curriculum Improvement- 1970
Commonalities of the Programs Present a coherent set of related concepts
with broad unifying themes
Reduction of the number of topic covered in favor for more current and in-depth study
Included historical dev’t of the subject
Excluded technological applications, relation to everyday life
• Reform Movement was led by college science professors with the help of school teachers
• Education faculty played a secondary role, if any
• A number of educational theorists lent considerable support and generated momentum
Jerome Bruner • Noted psychologist from Harvard
• The Woods Hole Conference (1959)
• Supported new structure and inductive learning strategies
• Felt there should be more intuitive or creative thought processes
• Introduced Piaget’s work- translated into the concept of a “spiral curriculum”
Joseph J Schwab • Curriculum theorist from University of
Chicago; was part of BSCS in 1959
• Felt the nation faced three important needs:
1) additional scientists2) competent political leaders 3) a public sympathetic to ongoing programs
of scientific research
• Schwab’s new conceptions of science:– Scientists no longer viewed knowledge
as stable truth– Fluid enquiry as a means to invention– New vital importance of science for
discoveries, principles, and applications
• Stressed the processes by which scientists generated the knowledge
How successful were the new programs?
• A number of studies investigated the effectiveness of the new programs…
-NSF’s “National Survey”(1977) –
-Suzanne Quick (1978) - effects on commercial textbooks
-CHEM Study Group (1964)- evaluate any changes in enrollment into science classes
“New Directions for Teaching Secondary School Science”
• Written by Paul Hurd in 1970
• Identified specific pros and cons in his overall analyses of the projects
• More up to date and valid information
• Engaged students in independent, “discovery”- type investigations
• Presented a more accurate picture of the nature of science
• Dealt with smaller number of significant concepts taught in depth and in context
• Too difficult for avg high school students
• Didn’t seem to motivate students to study science- not related to real world, personal concerns, practical applications
• Ignored the role of science in everyday life
• The national scope of the projects…• Funding by the federal government …• Widespread use of the courses…
…made this effort unmatched in the history of American education.
Sound familiar???
