Science Education Timeline

Erin E. Peters

March 4, 2006

Year	Science Event	Science Education Event
Before 1600	· Natural philosophy – no experimentation · Alchemy – investigation for practical uses	· Apprenticeships · Learning science for survival activities
1700s	· Scientific Revolution · Broad experiments by self-taught or apprentice scientists (phrase coined in 1843 by William Wehelm)	· Academies · Classics rather than science
1800s	· Science formed more by paradigms · Scientists working as a community	· Debate between science and classical studies – argument that curriculum was outdated, true purpose was to prepare people to deal with socially relevant questions · Learning of science was seen as narrow and single-minded, vocational preparation · Advocates stated that science provided best mental discipline · Herbert Spencer – scientist who advocated for science to be included in the curriculum – ability to draw a judgement · Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi – schooling that focused on personal understanding rather than rote memorization, study based on sense impressions · Edward Livingston Youmans – The Culture Demanded by Modern Life argued for inclusion of sciences in school curriculum. Science was more useful than math because math was deductive reasoning, but science used inductive reasoning · Object Lessons –using an object to spark discussion of content · Thomas Huxley – scientist that made arguments that science should be a major branch of school and university study since it dealt with a large part of knowledge · Johann Friedrich Hobart – Charles DeGarmo brought Herbart’s works from Germany – sense perception as the beginning of education – ideas were built upon each other and richly connected (theory of interest, theory of concept formation, and organization of the curriculum) – inductive learning · Charles Eliot – Committee of Ten – laboratory science be included in curriculum – concerns 1) science was taught from books, 2) artificial difficulty of the subject · J. M. Rice – science teaching is still following mechanistic methods, children not permitted to think
1900-1950	· Technologies from WWI and WWII · Sciences more divided into disciplines · 1900 Blood Types distinguished · 1902 First documentation of children exhibiting inattentiveness, impulsivity and hyperactivity, later becomes known as ADD/ADHD · 1911 First genetic map for Drosophila by Americans Thomas Hunt Morgan & Alfred Henry Sturtevant · 1912 vitamins suggested · 1924 Australopithecene skull found · 1928 penicillin's discovery (later use in 1939) · George Washington Carver worked with agricultural products developed industrial applications from farm products · 1934 Barbara McClintock showed translocation of genes, ignored until the 1970’s · 1942 DDT produced and used commercially in the US	· Huge jump in enrollment from 10% to almost 100% in 50 years · Curriculum is congested with too many subjects – Committee of Ten report recommends which subjects should take priority · Smith and Hall – Chemist and physicist who advocated inquiry methods in laboratory science · Education as a way to produce socially effective and productive citizens · Call for practical non-college-bound studies was in the forefront · Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education (CRSE) · Kinglsey cited urbanization, industrialization, increased leisure time and the decline in the educational effectiveness of the family demanded a change to secondary education · Science was an appreciation of the natural world and aid in the worthy use of leisure · Everyday world of the student was the laboratory – students were to comprehend science on their own terms and in relation to their own experiences rather than on the basis of expert’s understanding · Biology, chemistry and physics as three dominant courses · Goals: 1) improve general welfare through education, 2) develop science-related avocational interests and an enjoyment of nature, 3) interest students in further study of science, 4) develop the student’s ability to observe, make careful measurements, classify and reason (not as attended to), 5) (most strongly emphasized) full understanding of the principles of each separate science field · Most educators convinced that science should be relevant to students’ everyday lives – shore up sagging enrollments · Science and general science we the same grades 7-9 · Physics had the most decline in enrollment compared to chemistry and biology · Project method – Dewey · Education still focused for college · NSSE National society for the Study of Education Yearbook committee said that topics should be chosen from aspects of the environment and science class sequence should begin with general science · College domination of high school courses
1950-2000	· Women in science · Space race · Age of Information · 1953 DNA double helix found by James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin · 1969 artificial heart, implanted · 1973 genetic engineering with Stanley H Cohen, Herbert W Boyer · 1972 punctuated equilibrium Stephen Jay Gould & Niles Elderdge · 1972 DDT restricted due to biological magnification · EPA and Earthday established demonstrating environmental awareness · Chesapeake Bay area is recognized as a “sick” watershed · 1978 First testtube baby born · 1982 transgenic mice · 1984 Alec Jeffreys genetic fingerprinting, Steen A Willadsen cloned sheep · 1990 Mary Claire King found the location of the breast cancer predisposition gene · 1998 James Thomson successfully isolated and cultured human embryonic stem cells	· Education for the Talented in Mathematics and Science – schools need to provide talented youth · Life adjustment education – emphasis on democratic living · NSF curriculum projects – Not enough rigor in schools · Woods Hole Conference – Bruner spiraling curriculum, Piaget – developmentally appropriate material · Enquiry teaching – ask question, look for evidence, evaluate results · Scientific literacy – interpreted many different ways, science ed-science for everyone, relevant socially important issues · Science, Technology and Society · Scientific thinking – students should look at nature the way scientists do · Nature of science – scientists are human and are part of the problems they are investigating · Reception learning –organize instruction so students can relate · Hierarchical learning – series of skills, should be taught sequentially to students · Learning cycle- exploration, concept introduction, concept application · Inquiry teaching – generate meaning by looking at a variety of resources
2000-2006	· 2005 Dog genome sequenced · 2006 Possible planet beyond Pluto discovered	· 2000 Teachers invited to participate in the selection of questions for VA SOL Assessments · Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004

Year

Science Event

Science Education Event

Before 1600

· Natural philosophy – no experimentation

· Alchemy – investigation for practical uses

· Apprenticeships

· Learning science for survival activities

1700s

· Scientific Revolution

· Broad experiments by self-taught or apprentice scientists (phrase coined in 1843 by William Wehelm)

· Academies

· Classics rather than science

1800s

· Science formed more by paradigms

· Scientists working as a community

· Debate between science and classical studies – argument that curriculum was outdated, true purpose was to prepare people to deal with socially relevant questions

· Learning of science was seen as narrow and single-minded, vocational preparation

· Advocates stated that science provided best mental discipline

· Herbert Spencer – scientist who advocated for science to be included in the curriculum – ability to draw a judgement

· Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi – schooling that focused on personal understanding rather than rote memorization, study based on sense impressions

· Edward Livingston Youmans – The Culture Demanded by Modern Life argued for inclusion of sciences in school curriculum. Science was more useful than math because math was deductive reasoning, but science used inductive reasoning

· Object Lessons –using an object to spark discussion of content

· Thomas Huxley – scientist that made arguments that science should be a major branch of school and university study since it dealt with a large part of knowledge

· Johann Friedrich Hobart – Charles DeGarmo brought Herbart’s works from Germany – sense perception as the beginning of education – ideas were built upon each other and richly connected (theory of interest, theory of concept formation, and organization of the curriculum) – inductive learning

· Charles Eliot – Committee of Ten – laboratory science be included in curriculum – concerns 1) science was taught from books, 2) artificial difficulty of the subject

· J. M. Rice – science teaching is still following mechanistic methods, children not permitted to think

1900-1950

· Technologies from WWI and WWII

· Sciences more divided into disciplines

· 1900 Blood Types distinguished

· 1902 First documentation of children exhibiting inattentiveness, impulsivity and hyperactivity, later becomes known as ADD/ADHD

· 1911 First genetic map for Drosophila by Americans Thomas Hunt Morgan & Alfred Henry Sturtevant

· 1912 vitamins suggested

· 1924 Australopithecene skull found

· 1928 penicillin's discovery (later use in 1939)

· George Washington Carver worked with agricultural products developed industrial applications from farm products

· 1934 Barbara McClintock showed translocation of genes, ignored until the 1970’s

· 1942 DDT produced and used commercially in the US

· Huge jump in enrollment from 10% to almost 100% in 50 years

· Curriculum is congested with too many subjects – Committee of Ten report recommends which subjects should take priority

· Smith and Hall – Chemist and physicist who advocated inquiry methods in laboratory science

· Education as a way to produce socially effective and productive citizens

· Call for practical non-college-bound studies was in the forefront

· Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education (CRSE)

· Kinglsey cited urbanization, industrialization, increased leisure time and the decline in the educational effectiveness of the family demanded a change to secondary education

· Science was an appreciation of the natural world and aid in the worthy use of leisure

· Everyday world of the student was the laboratory – students were to comprehend science on their own terms and in relation to their own experiences rather than on the basis of expert’s understanding

· Biology, chemistry and physics as three dominant courses

· Goals: 1) improve general welfare through education, 2) develop science-related avocational interests and an enjoyment of nature, 3) interest students in further study of science, 4) develop the student’s ability to observe, make careful measurements, classify and reason (not as attended to), 5) (most strongly emphasized) full understanding of the principles of each separate science field

· Most educators convinced that science should be relevant to students’ everyday lives – shore up sagging enrollments

· Science and general science we the same grades 7-9

· Physics had the most decline in enrollment compared to chemistry and biology

· Project method – Dewey

· Education still focused for college

· NSSE National society for the Study of Education Yearbook committee said that topics should be chosen from aspects of the environment and science class sequence should begin with general science

· College domination of high school courses

1950-2000

· Women in science

· Space race

· Age of Information

· 1953 DNA double helix found by James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin

· 1969 artificial heart, implanted

· 1973 genetic engineering with Stanley H Cohen, Herbert W Boyer

· 1972 punctuated equilibrium Stephen Jay Gould & Niles Elderdge

· 1972 DDT restricted due to biological magnification

· EPA and Earthday established demonstrating environmental awareness

· Chesapeake Bay area is recognized as a “sick” watershed

· 1978 First testtube baby born

· 1982 transgenic mice

· 1984 Alec Jeffreys genetic fingerprinting, Steen A Willadsen cloned sheep

· 1990 Mary Claire King found the location of the breast cancer predisposition gene

· 1998 James Thomson successfully isolated and cultured human embryonic stem cells

· Education for the Talented in Mathematics and Science – schools need to provide talented youth

· Life adjustment education – emphasis on democratic living

· NSF curriculum projects – Not enough rigor in schools

· Woods Hole Conference – Bruner spiraling curriculum, Piaget – developmentally appropriate material

· Enquiry teaching – ask question, look for evidence, evaluate results

· Scientific literacy – interpreted many different ways, science ed-science for everyone, relevant socially important issues

· Science, Technology and Society

· Scientific thinking – students should look at nature the way scientists do

· Nature of science – scientists are human and are part of the problems they are investigating

· Reception learning –organize instruction so students can relate

· Hierarchical learning – series of skills, should be taught sequentially to students

· Learning cycle- exploration, concept introduction, concept application

· Inquiry teaching – generate meaning by looking at a variety of resources

2000-2006

· 2005 Dog genome sequenced

· 2006 Possible planet beyond Pluto discovered

· 2000 Teachers invited to participate in the selection of questions for VA SOL Assessments

· Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004