Learning and Understanding: Improving Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in U.S. High Schools Report of the Content Panel for Biology (2002) / Chapter Skim
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4. Teachers and Teaching
4. Teachers and Teaching
Pages 24-32
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From page 24... ...
and to a lesser extent the International Baccalaureate (IB) biology courses are taught inconsistently with current knowledge in several ways, some touched on earlier and more discussed below.
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231. Thus, "a focus only on the hours that students currently spend in school overlooks the many opportunities for guided learning in other settings." TEACHER PREPARATION AND PROGRAM QUALITY Many teachers at the secondary level are unprepared with regard to content knowledge to teach college-level biology, and many schools that offer AP programs do not have the resources to support adequate labora299
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From page 26... ...
The panel reiterates that no teacher should be assigned or certified as above to teach an AP biology course without having had the opportunity to participate in at least a 1-week summer workshop focused primarily on laboratory activities. TEACHER DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT More inservice teacher preparation and support are needed, and more attention should be paid to pedagogy in manuals and workshops, particu
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From page 27... ...
(IB already does this to some extent via the IBO Online Curriculum Center.) INFLUENCE OF CURRICULA AND ASSESSMENTS ON TEACHING APPROACHES As noted earlier, the perceived need for comprehensiveness and the single high-stakes exam of the AP program in particular encourage teachers to promote rote learning in order to cover all the necessary material.
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From page 28... ...
The panel's recommendations above and in Chapter 6 are intended to help move the AP and IB assessments in these directions. ALTERNATIVE COURSES AND PROGRAMS As noted earlier, the panel had neither sufficient time nor adequate resources to allow in-depth analysis of alternative programs in advanced biology beyond those of AP and IB.
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From page 29... ...
They typically offer workshops for teachers; provide laboratory materials for use in the schools; and involve faculty, graduate students, and sometimes undergraduates who work in the classrooms with a regular teacher to provide enrichment science instruction.
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There are a number of other ways in which universities can support advanced biology teachers or their schools. Examples are as follows: · In schools where qualified teachers or resources are not available, teaching of AP courses by local university faculty using university facilities.
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From page 31... ...
Finally, as emphasized elsewhere in this report, there is a need for systemic reform of biology teaching, not just at the secondary level but throughout the education system, to conform to recent knowledge about how people learn and to the NSES. Many college introductory courses suffer from the same shortcomings as those identified in this report for high school advanced study courses, such as too much emphasis on comprehensive coverage and rote memorization of facts and too little active, inquiry-based, or problem-based learning.
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From page 32... ...
First, collegelevel introductory courses contribute to problems with AP courses in particular because the content of those courses has been driving the AP biology curriculum. Second, inadequacies of many primary as well as secondary school courses may stem directly from the mode of instruction experienced by teachers as college students.
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