The BSCS Program: Reaction from Students,Teachers, and Parents

Thomas A. HuttoPotomac High School, Montgomery County, Maryland*

INTRODUCTION

A decade has passed since the American Institute of BiologicalSciences first proposed the curriculum project which culminated inthe formation of the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study and thesubsequent development of new approaches to the study of biology atthe secondary level.Through the thinking and careful efforts of some of the best minds

in the country the BSCS committee has apparently been highly suc-cessful with its development of three approaches to the study of theideas and phenomena of biology. Reports from across the nation tothe BSCS committee seem to indicate that the various versions aregenerally being well received in most areas, and although there havebeen few really definitive studies because of the relative infancy of theprogram, students in BSCS biology are believed to be doing as well asstudents in courses involving traditional approaches.While this seems to be the consensus, dissenting voices are being

raised. As one who firmly believes in and uses the BSCS approach Ifeel that it is not only fair, but essential, that these objections bepublicly heard and discussed. I am presently teaching the BSCS BlueVersion and I am daily faced with the reaction of students and theirparents to the course. During the summer of 1964 I taught an NSFInstitute at Western Maryland College in which the BSCS BlueVersion was used for orientation. Again I had ample opportunity todiscuss the BSCS approach with the institute participants and tolisten to their comments. What follows is a discussion of the reactionsand attitudes of these three groups who are affected by the newcurriculum.

WHAT STUDENTS THINK ABOUT BSCS

Students, in general, seem to enter a biology course for the firsttime with a fixed and definite concept of what the course should con-sist. They expect the course to concentrate on a study of animals andplants with a considerable emphasis on organ and tissue level of con-struction. Many students expect to spend much of their time identify-ing and memorizing structures. Laboratory activities are expected tocenter around dissection of specimens and microscopic examination of

* The author is currently Assistant Professor of Education at Wisconsin State University, Oshkosh,Wisconsin.

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tissues. They seem to expect a study of function to be relegated totextbook description with cut and dried answers.

This, of course, details much of the emphasis of the traditionalapproach to high school biology and it is not too surprising that stu-dents expect such activities. After all, they have been told what toexpect by older brothers, sisters, and friends who were themselvestaught by traditional methods. ^Cutting up a frog^ has long beenidentified with high school biology. Such patterns of thought are notlikely to change overnight.

For students then, the greatest problem seems to be a matter ofadjustment in ways of thinking. The BSCS approach is not what thestudent expects biology to be. It destroys the myth that the textbookis an infallible authority. It emphasizes that scientific knowledge isconstantly changing and that what is today regarded as sound in-formation, perhaps even fact, may tomorrow be simply a discardedtheory. This tends to leave the student with a sense of insecurity be-cause he has been taught for so long that science is a stable body ofknowledge full of proven facts.

Finally, the BSCS approach attempts to develop in the student asense of inquiry. The laboratory program of the BSCS curriculum isdesigned to enable the student to learn through self investigation anddiscovery the nature of scientific knowledge and through actual expe-rience to develop the techniques of inquiry. Because the laboratory isalso often far from what the student expects he may feel that he isbeing denied an opportunity to participate in laboratory activities.At the conclusion of three successive laboratory periods involving thestudy of electrolysis of water, acids, bases, and pH, and the formationof coacervates, I have had students ask ^When are we going to have alaboratory period?" Close questioning revealed that they were refer-ring to activities involving dissection. These other activities did notmeet their mental definitions of a laboratory period. Many studentsindicate their belief that the Blue Version, in particular, involves toomuch chemistry.

PARENTAL CONCERN ABOUT BSCSFor parents the problem is not as complex. The primary concern of

most parents is that they do not understand what the BSCS approachis all about. Some schools deal with this by having special curriculummeetings to which parents are invited. Once they are familiar with thegoals of the approach, most parents want to know the implications ofBSCS biology for the future of their child. A common question is^Will college entrance be aided or inhibited when the child studiesbiology through the BSCS approach rather than the traditionalapproach?7’

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Recent efforts by certain conservative groups to have the BSCScurriculum banned from the public schools of Texas reflects the con-cern some parents feel about the emphasis placed upon evolutionarythought. Contrary to statements otherwise, however, the BSCS mate-rial emphasizes the evolution of biological organisms as a theoryrather than a fact.

TEACHER ATTITUDES TOWARD BSCSThe telling point in the success of the BSCS approach is the

attitude of the teacher. If the teacher is not convinced of the value ofthe approach he will certainly not be able to cope with negative re-actions on the part of students and their parents. In most teachingsituations the teacher has the option of adopting either a BSCS ver-sion or a traditional textbook. Some teachers reject the BSCS ap-proach outright for various reasons while others begin to use it only tobecome disillusioned with it. Many teachers apparently adopt aBSCS version expecting it to be a new way of teaching old ideas, notrealizing that it is an entirely new approach to biology, involving thedevelopment of new ways of thinking.Some teachers object to the approach for the same reason as their

students, that is, it does not involve enough of the familiar topics andactivities of the traditional course. Some teachers feel that the mate-rial is too vague and does not have enough substance to constitute agood biology course. Others feel that the material is too difficult forthe average tenth grade student. With a schedule that is usually tooheavy, many teachers feel that the laboratory requires an inordinateamount of time for preparation.

CONCLUSIONSIt would be unfortunate if those who strongly support the BSCS

curriculum were to reject these complaints without giving them fairconsideration. Some objections may be highly valid, particularly inindividual situations. The success of the BSCS approach revolvesaround the orientation of the teacher and most teachers have beentrained in descriptive biology. They are, for the most part, deficient inbackground courses of chemistry, physics, and statistics, and withoutexperience in actual research involving the methods and techniques ofscientific investigation. Unfortunately, many of our teacher traininginstitutions continue to produce biology teachers trained only inclassical biology, apparently without cognizance of the revolutionthat has occurred in the secondary biology curriculum.The teacher cannot change his past training. However, he can

study the BSCS curriculum with an open mind. He can attend sum-mer courses which will bring him abreast of current developments in

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biology and he can attend workshops which are designed to orienthim in the ways of thinking about the nature of science which arenecessary to successfully teach the BSCS approach.The BSCS approach can be very satisfying, professionally, for the

teacher who has mastered it. To appreciate the significance and valueof the BSCS curriculum, teachers must develop a broad backgroundin the sciences related to biology during the years of his professionaltraining. He must become aware of the true nature of science. Stu-dents must be taught new ways of thinking and parents must be keptwell informed regarding the rationale of the curriculum and thesuccess of students studying biology through the BSCS approach.

REFERENCES1964 LISONBEE, LORENZO AND BILL J. FULLERTON. "The Comparative Effect of

BSCS and Traditional Biology on Student Achievement." SCH. Sci. ANDMATH. LXIV: 594-98.

1961. GLASS, BENTLEY. "Revolution in Biology." BSCS Newsletter No. 9, Sept.1961.

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICSConvention Schedule

Joint Meeting with AAASBerkeley, CaliforniaDecember 28, 1965

San Diego MeetingSan Diego, CaliforniaMarch 11-13, 1966

Forty-Fourth Annual MeetingNew York, New YorkApril 13-16, 1966

Greeley MeetingGreeley, ColoradoApril 22-23, 1966

Joint Meeting with NEAMiami Beach, FloridaJune 29, 1966

Cincinnati MeetingCincinnati, OhioNovember 11-12, 1966

Joint Meeting with AAASWashington, D. C.December 28, 1966

Joint Meeting with MAAHouston, TexasJanuary 28, 1967

New Orleans MeetingNew Orleans, LouisianaMarch 2-4, 1967

Forty-Fifth Annual MeetingLas Vegas, NevadaApril 16-20, 1967

Joint Meeting with NEAMinneapolis, MinnesotaJuly 5, 1967

Montreal MeetingMontreal, QuebecAugust 21-24, 1967

Houston MeetingHouston, TexasNovember 23-25, 1967

Joint Meeting with AAASNew York, New YorkDecember 27, 1967

Forty-Sixth Annual MeetingPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaApril 17-20, 1968

Joint Meeting with NEADallas, TexasJuly 3, 1968

Joint Meeting with AAASDallas, TexasDecember 30, 1968

Forty-Seventh Annual MeetingMinneapolis, MinnesotaApril 23-26, 1969

Joint Meeting with NEAPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaJuly 2, 1969

Forty-Eighth Annual MeetingWashington, D. C.April 1-4, 1970