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LABORATORY TECHNIQUES who lack basic skills, all four schools have such FOR URBAN YOUNGSTERS students, and our school is the Title I school of the dis- trict. In addition to teaching two first- and second- In his review of Laboratory Techniques for High semester microbiology courses and a first- and second- School, by Gabrielle Edwards and Marion Cimmino semester physical science class, I also teach two (ABT 36[8]:515), Stuart D. Schnell misses the entire second-track required health and safety classes and point of the book. For years we have been trying one have been active in curriculum development in that experimental course after another (anything but the area to reduce failures and drop-outs.

"standard course in the City school sys- Downloaded from http://online.ucpress.edu/abt/article-pdf/37/2/119/365015/4445098.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 tem") that would meet the needs of today's urban DOES ANYONE HAVE TIME youngsters. It is precisely our frustrating experiences TO TEACH SCIENCE? with courses that didn't "insult their intelligence" and courses for students who "are too sophisticated for The programs described by Ronald D. Simpson in such an elementary presentation" that led to the for- his article, "A Comparison of Biologic Content in mulation of this course. Three Elementary-School Science Curriculum Pro- Schnell may think that "any student who has not jects: ESS, S-APA, SCIS," (ABT 36[6]:340) are good, yet mastered the basic arithmetic skills by his junior but does anyone have time to teach them? or senior year in high school should not even consider The September 1974 issue of Phi Delta Kappan taking a course in laboratory techniques," but we (page 85), carries a notice that a study recently per- don't believe in relegating any student to the scrap formed in the Portland, Ore., public schools revealed heap of the unemployment line or welfare caseload if that grade 1-4 teachers spend only 30% of their we can possibly help it. Maybe they don't have high- time-100 minutes out of a 51/2-hourschool day-in ac- school students who lack basic skills in Alhambra, tivities that are even remotely related to academic in- Calif., but I think Schnell would find them even there struction and learning. Of the 100 minutes, an aver- if he would deign to notice them. age of 75 are devoted to language arts, 18 to numbers If Schnell had only tried any one of these lessons he or math, and "no more than one or two minutes daily scoffs at, he may have found to his surprise that they to any other curriculum area such as science or art." really work with high-school students. This book and Twenty minutes of science every two weeks is hardly this course have been successful in giving many a time to make much progress in programs like ESS, would-be dropout a reason for staying in school and SCIS, and S-APA. This problem frustrated me when I the necessary skills to begin preparation for a career taught a science course for elementary teachers. An in the health field. advantage of these programs, as Simpson points out, George Goldman is that they are sequential; but can any teacher as- Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School sume that the material was taught in prior grades 5800 20th Ave. even if it were available? , N.Y. 11204 Steve Stocking Life Science Division Stuart D. Schnell comments: San Joaquin Delta College Calif. 95207 The course for which the book was written appears Stockton, to be the "standard course in the school system" in that it is almost the same course I Ronald D. Simpson comments: studied in 1960-61 at Midwood High School, in Mr. Stocking's letter elucidates a general chronic Brooklyn. problem which I am both aware of and empathetic to- I do not believe in using the science laboratory as ward. Before accepting the data from the Portland the place to teach basic skills. Furthermore, it is an study as valid indication of the national situation, academic mockery and a fraud to lead students to however, I would want to see this study replicated-us- believe they could work in laboratories as a result of ing more teachers from more school systems. taking such a mediocre course, unless the city and Meanwhile, rather than assume that no time is state of New York have lowered their health stan- available to teach science, I would prefer to believe dards. There are other subjects a poor student could that many elementary school teachers elect not to in- take in order to have a "saleable" skill. clude science in the time they have for academic As for Alhambra City High School District (which instruction. borders the city of Los Angeles) not having students The major strength of the three science programs I

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