National Science Teachers Association

STUDENT-DESIGNED CURRICULUM
Author(s): JOHN F. THOMPSON
Source: The Science Teacher, Vol. 37, No. 8 (NOVEMBER 1970), pp. 18-19
Published by: National Science Teachers Association
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24119641
Accessed: 06-05-2021 16:05 UTC

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 STUDENT-DESIGNED
CURRICULUM

JOHN F. THOMPSON, Director of

Teacher Preparation, Earth Sci
ence Educational Project, Boulder,
Colorado

In this earth science laboratory, students are able to choose those topics which interest
them. The two in the foreground are generating oxygen as part of their study of air.
In the background, other students are studying erosion using the stream table.
Sometimes the hardest job tor students
unused to this kind of decision making
is finding a topic of interest to them.
dents may work alone or in groups of
their own choosing. They have per
manent hall passes allowing them to
These students investigated evaporation and crystallization.
THE design
tiated last for
yearthe program
at Burbank we ini
Junior
High School in Boulder, Colorado, is
simple. Within the area of earth science
the students determine what they will
study, when they will study it, how they
will study it, and for how long. They
also grade themselves, writing a short
paragraph explaining why they gave
themselves the grade they did. The 28
students (ranging in IQ from 85 to
130) who participated in the experi
mental program were one eighth-grade
earth science class. Other sections of
earth science, required in eighth grade,
were taught in a different manner.
To assist the students in the selec
tion of topics, at least one copy of each
of 16 commercially available earth sci
ence texts is on hand in the classroom.
Also available to the students are earth
science kits from the Earth Science
Curriculum Project, Secondary School
Science Project, and Science Research
Associates; and other lab items, film
loops and films, two telescopes, and
10 Polaroid cameras with film. Stu
go to the school library, the school
grounds, and the regular science class
room anytime they choose during the
class period.
As the teacher, I am available as a
resource to assist the students in any
way they wish—with one exception: I
refuse to make any decisions for them,
except where safety is a factor or
where a request is made for an item
of equipment that cannot be provided.
Several techniques are used to evalu
ate what is happening. First, each stu
dent keeps records, including a note
book within which he records the fol
lowing: (a) names of students with
whom he is working, (b) data gathered
in studying his topic, (c) conclusions
drawn or things found out as a result
of his studies, (d) films, books, maga

18 THE SCIENCE TEACHER

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 percent of student time was spent A doSTRUCTURED,
ing lab work. Students did a great INDEPENDENT-STUDY
deal of reading also, but not in the COURSE IN CHEMISTRY
16 textbooks.
RONALD I. PERKINS, Chemistry
Almost all students for the entire
Teacher, Exeter High School, Ex
semester were engaged in legitimate in New Hampshire
eter,
quiry in earth science. Little time was
wasted doing things other than earth
CHEMISTRY
science. When students did waste time, at on
School is taught Exeter High
a structured,
however, it was much more evident independent-study basis. Though many
than in a normal classroom where of the ideas used are not new, the par
glazed, silent attention is often ticular
inter synthesis is unique.
preted as learning. When questioned Within guidelines, the direction of
study comes from each student. He is
about their learning, students indicated
free to advance at his own rate and to
a fairly good knowledge of their topics,
to the limit of the depth to whichconcentrate
they on his own special inter
pursued them. ests, while at the same time learning
thedi
The program design puts me in fundamentals of chemistry.
rect contact with students as individuals The course is presently structured
or small groups, since I am free to around the CHEM Study text,1 al
roam the room all period. I know though the particular text is not crucial
my students much better as people. for the success of this method. Chapter
Through our daily conversations, I guidesheets include important chapter
get a much better feeling for the concepts; a list of required tasks, which
The program design allows the teacher to amount and quality of learning taking are kept to a minimum and usually
come into more direct contact with the stu
place. As a resource available to stu allow for choices; and an extensive list
dents and to learn to know them better.
dents, I can also introduce questions of optional tasks relevant to the chap
ter. This last section is the heart of
that stimulate further thought by the
zines used, (e) photos taken during his
students. the course, for here is the opportunity
study. He also records informational In order for this kind of learning for individual choices. These optional
items on a Porta-Punch card each modelday.
to succeed, several conditions tasks usually are directional or open
Second, I keep a daily diary of must
thingsbe satisfied: (a) Students must ended experiments, advanced problems,
that have happened in the classroom,
trust the teacher, and the, teacher must Scientific American abstracts, written
observations about the process of learn papers, foreign language translations,
trust them. This atmosphere of trust
ing, student comments that might is not not
immediately nor easily achieved, and even related art projects. Tasks
be recorded in their own notebooks,
(b) The environment must be a rich are included that relate chemistry to
and equipment used or needed. At the as many of the other disciplines as
one from the standpoint of variety.
end of the year, data on this class are
Not much funding is needed to operate possible.
compared with those from the such regular
a class, but a wide variety of Students may not advance to a new
earth science classes at the school.
things must be present to capture the chapter until the required work is
Third, all visitors to the class fill in completed, but once that is done they
students' interest, (c) It is useful to
a simple rating sheet with comments may advance in two ways—either by
have a number of seductive "grabbers"
on their observations and on conversa rapidly moving on through the other
or "interest stimulators" available, (d)
tions with students, and their analysis chapters or by concentrating on the
The teacher must view the class through
of what is happening. optional work in a particular chapter.
the students' eyes and accept their in
terests as genuine rather than trying To avoid students' remaining on one
to push his interests on students. chapter to the neglect of others, an
DURING the pastcurriculum,
dent-selected year in this
thestu
stu optional task deadline is in effect. After
A comprehensive report on the class
dents' topics ranged over a wide area,and the accompanying evaluation de this deadline, only required work may
with each student changing topics sign at and results are available from me. be submitted.
least ten times during the year. Some Grading is by means of a point sys
An excellent book that presents the
of the several hundred topics studied tem wherein each task is assigned a
learning psychology and philosophy be
were these: flame tests of minerals, the certain maximum number of points.
hind such a class is Freedom to Learn,
moon, planets, rocks, heat transfer, by Carl Rogers.1 □ These points are totaled at the half
rock abrasion, stream table erosion,
water pollution, earthquakes, marine
1 Rogers, Carl. Freedom to Learn. Charles E.
1 Pimentel, George. Chemistry—An Experimental
Science. W. H. Freeman and Company, San Fran
biology, and evaporation. AboutMerrill
40 Publishing Company, Columbus, Ohio. cisco,
1969. California. 1963.

NOVEMBER 1970 19

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