Presentation made several years ago about the nature and needs of adolescence and how these ideas should influence the nature of science curriculum and science learning activities.
3. DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS
• Positive social interaction with
adults and peers
• Structure and clear limits
• Physical activity
• Creative expression
• Competence and achievement
• Meaningful participation in
families, school and
communities
• Opportunities for self-definition
6. Adolescence & Puberty
• Negotiate meaning of
biological changes
• Awareness of opposite
sex
• Sexual experience
• Decisions about
contraceptives
7. Maturation
• Disadvantage for Late
maturing boys---self-
esteem, popularity &
“macho” behavior
• Early maturing girls--
small network and
poorer emotional
habits
8. Identity: Who Am I?
• Urban middle school
kids who drop out say:
• “They don’t tell you
anything about
yourself.”
• “They don’t tell you
about other kids”
9. Maladaptive Decisions
• 2/3 of the (19 million) have tried alcohol
• 1/3 tried illicit drugs
• % with AIDS has increased
• Recent study of 8th graders
– 26.2% used alcohol
– 15% engaged in binge drinking
– 11.3% used marijuana
– 5.8% used inhalants
– 1.3% used cocaine
10. Teen Health
• Not about disease, but
preventable social,
environmental &
behavioral factors…
such as
• Accidents
• Homicide
• Suicide
• Early pregnancy
11. Teen Sexual Behavior
• “Reproductive
maturation most
distinctive feature of
transescence”
• Traditionally…
suppress, ignore or
weakly influence
sexual behavior of
teens
• 560,000 teen births/yr
12. Peer Groups & Gangs
• Passionate herding
instinct?
• Little evidence that
peer pressures
overpower values of
parents
• Try out various
identities
13. Friends
• Someone loyal and
“doesn’t talk about you
behind your back”
• Enjoy activities with
friends more than any
other activity
• Few or no friends:
aggressive, drop out,
criminal behavior
14. Everyday in America
• Three died from abuse
• Six committed suicide
• 16 killed with guns
• 316 arrested for
violent crimes
• 406 arrested for drugs
• 466 babies born with
little prenatal care
15. Everyday in America
• 1,420 babies born to
teenagers
• 2,556 babies born into
poverty
• 3,533 to unwed mothers
• 3,356 dropped out
• 5,702 arrested
• 13,076 suspended
• 100,000 remain homeless
Number of births to teens ages 15-19 per 1,000 females in this age group
16. Which Means
• We need a middle
school with special
curricula
• Close the gaps
between early
adolescents & their
well being
17. Middle (Junior High) Schools
• Berkeley & Columbus
(Ohio) created 7-8-9
schools in 1907
• Functions of JHS
– Integration
– Exploration
– Guidance
– Differentiation
– Socialization
18. Effective School for Early Adolescents
• Vision was not being
met
• Lack of qualified
teachers
• Curriculum did not
match “needs of early
adolescents
19. Ideal “middle” School (1965)
• Focus on needs of early adolescents
• Individualized instruction
• Stress on intellectual components
• Emphasis on inquiry, discovery, learning
how to learn
• Exploratory experiences
• Health and PE
20. Middle vs Junior Highs
• Research revealed
they were more alike
than different
• Few data to support
advocates or critics
• Yet, middle schools
flourished from the
mid-seventies on
21. Middle School Science
• Starting in the late 60s
• Reformers: Scientists
• Content
– Structure of discipline
– A Way of knowing
• Science Activities as
motivation (Bruner)
• Goals directly linked
to science discipline
• EXAMPLES
– Introductory Physical
Science (IPS)
– Earth Science
Curriculum Project (
– Intermediate Science
Curriculum Study
(ISCS)
22. Middle School Science: Real Curriculum
• General Science
replaced with ES, LS,
& PS
• Grade 6--PS
• Grade 7--LS
• Grade 8--ES
24. “Should Be” Curriculum
• Structured more in
terms of student
interests
• Social concerns
• Human agenda
• Human ecology
25. But, the MS Science Curriculum
• Based on academic
preparation
• Ignores use of science in
everyday life, societal
decision making, career
choice
• “Turns off” 2/3 of our
students
• Teachers uncertain how to
change curriculum
26. Science for the People
• Select those concepts and
principles of science
relevant to students’ daily
life and adaptive needs
• Not to prepare scientists
• Science must be put into
service for individuals and
society
27. A New Vision for MS Science
• Connects students
with today’s world
• Development of life
skills
• Increasing the quality
of life
29. From the Traditional to the “Lived”
• TRADITIONAL
• Textbooks
• Principles
• Generalizations
• Theories
• Methods
• Specific science areas
• LIVED CURRICULUM
• Foster links between
the lives of early
adolescents and their
quality of life
• Personally oriented
• Interdisciplinary
• Makes sense of
science, re: everyday
life
30. Life Science Curriculum Topics
• Getting to know
ourselves: What kind of a
creature are we?
• People have a long history
on Earth
• Human life cycle
• How we learn about
people & the world
• Learning & remembering
• Language &
Communication
• Knowing & deciding
• Nutrition
• Health, Hygiene &
Safety
• Human beings as
social animals
31. Core Themes for MS Science
• Health and Wellness
• Stablilizing the Global
Environment
• New Energy
Resources
• Quality of Life
• Quality of Work
New Curriculum focus upon utilization of science/technology
knowledge as it enhances adaptive needs of students