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High school biology today: What the committee of ten actually said

  • Borough of Manhattan Community College

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

This essay describes how in the 1890s the Committee of Ten arrived at their recommendations about the organization of the high school biological sciences and seeks to correct the frequently held, but erroneous view that the Committee of Ten was the initiator of the Biology-Chemistry-Physics order of teaching sciences prevalent in high schools today. The essay details the factors underlying the changing views of high school biology from its "natural history" origins, through its "zoology, botany, physiology" disciplinary phase to its eventual integration into a "general biology" course. The simultaneous parallel development of the "Carnegie Unit" for measuring coursework is highlighted as a significant contributor in the evolution of the present day high school biology course. The essay concludes with a discussion of the implications of the grade placement of the sciences for the future development of high school biology.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)198-202
Number of pages5
JournalCBE Life Sciences Education
Volume6
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2007

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