DOCUMENT RESUME TM 000 948 ED 057 103 AUTHOR Clinton, A.; 'And Others TITLE An Evaluation of theExperimental Anthropology Program at MageeSecondary School, During theSpring Semester of 1971. INSTITUTION Vancouver Board ofSchool Trustees (British Columbia), REPORT NO RR-71-26 PUB DATE Sep 71 NOTE 14p. MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29 EDRS PRICE Course DESCRIPTORS *Anthropology;-Course Descriptions; Evaluation; Course Organization;Culture; *Curriculum Development; qurriculumEvaluation; Experimental Curriculum; *Experimental Programs;High School Students; Pilot Projects;*Program Evaluation; Questionnaires; *Secondary Schools;Student Opinion IDENTIFIERS British Columbia; *magOeSecondary School; Vancouver ABSTRACT An evaluation of anexperimental anthropology program which was introduced tostudents at the Magee SecondarySchool is presented. The purpose of the course,a detailed courseoutline, and the rationale and basicgeneralizations of Anthropology11E are included. A listing of requiredand suggested coursereadings as well as student reactionto the experimental program areappended.(CK) EXPERIMENTALANTHROPOLOGY AN EVALUATIONOF THE DURING THE SPRING PROGRAM AT MAGEESECONDA-RY SCHOOL, SEMESTER OF 1971 Septembr, 1971 ;A. Clinton, D.McIntyre and A. G.Moodie Research Report71-26 Department of Planningand Evaluation Board of SchoolTrustees 1595 West 10thAvenue Vancouver 9, B. C. AN EVALUATION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL ANTHROPOLOGYPROGRAM AT MAGEE SECONDARY SCHOOL, DURING THE SPRING SEMESTER OF 1971 Introduction During the second semester of the 1970-71 school year, anexperimental Anthropology program was offered to students at Magee Secondary School.The purpose of the course was to introduce students to Anthropology and provide them with materialsof vital human interest on how organized groups cope with the eternal problems of man and his environment.The pilot program was designed to implement the rationale (see Appendix A) as developed by theAnthropology Sub-Committee of the Curriculum Revision Committee and outlined by Mr. H. L. Walker, SocialStudies Department Head. of Magee Secondary '§chool. The course as developed by the teacher, Mr. B. Wilson,consisted of the following five units: Unit I - Experiences in Anthropology - an introductory unit todevelop an awareness of culture and to study anthropological methodology. (Approximately15 hours of instruction) Unit II - Physical Anthropology and Archaeology - anexamination of prehistory.The evolution of man and culture from 4,000,000 B.C. to historictimes. (Approximately 5 hours) Unit III - The Indians of the North Pacific Coast - an in-depthexamination of the indigenous peoples of B. C.Emphasis was placed on their art, religion, technology, kinship,mythology and political systems. (Approximately 25. hours) Unit IV - The Coming of the White Man and his Effect upon theCulture of the Northwest Coast (Approximately 15 hours) Unit V - An Ethnographic Study...* Depth -qaximum immersion in one culture. (Approximately 20 hours) Appendix B contains a detailed =nine of the course curriculum withrequired and suggested readings. A total of nineteen students who voluntarily elected theAnthropologY course were registered in the following grades: Grade 9 - one student, Grade 10 - one student, Grade 11 - five students, and Grade 12 - twelve students In evaluating the achievement of these students, the teacherassigned the following final letter grades as shown in Table I. TABLE I: DISTRIBUTION OF FINAL LETTER GRADES RECEIVEDBY ANTHROPOLOGY 11E STUDWTS Letter Grades . C Pass Fail F Number of Students 6 6 4 2 1 All students passed the course with the exception of one Grade 12student who was attending school on an irregular basis and who was having difficultieswith other school subjects. Student participation, class tests and research papers colatributed tothese.letter grades,* the following proportions, 1.Student participation (performance in serninar.and.diecussion grOups)20%, of herletter grade.. 2.Class tests consisted of two, topics _whiCh, ,t he ,teacher 'selectedofroni a list'of teritOP.ics,t,hat had b e en_ py opos ed_ br the c lass.Students were requiràd to yrTePaire for the ten topics as- they,did-nOt know,until-:the testlitas adniinitered:WhIA-t*iidif:144.beenseleeied7brtlie._telaCher - 2 3.Research paper and oral presentation - 30% of theletter grade. Although the Grade 9 and 10 studentsreceived "A" and "B" letter gradesrespectively, the Magee teaching staff believed that SocialStudies 11 should be a .prerequisite (orshould be taken concurrently) to provide sufficient academicbackground and maturity for the topics studiedin the Anthropology 11E program. Evaluation of the Program The Anthropology 11E class wasvisited on June 9th by an evaluation teamcomposed of: Mr. A. Clinton, EducationDepartment, Vancouver School Board, Mr. D. McIntyre, Social. StudiesDepartment Head, Lord Byng SecondarySchool, and Mr. A. G. ,Moodie, Planning andEvaluation Department, Vancouver SchoolBoard. The team observed students viewing afilm on the life of the Netsilik Eskimopeople.This film was one of a series that was being shown toprovide students with background materialfor preparing an in-depth ethnographic report on the Netsilik culture. After the film was shown, a questionnaireprepared by the Planning and EvaluationDepartment was distributed to Anthropology 11E students.Appendix C contains the summarized commentsfrom ifourteen of the nineteen students who wereregistered in the program.(Discrepancies in attendance and enrolment figures were caused largely bystudents who had left school for summeremployment.) The variations' in the total number of responses perquestion were caused by students sometimeswriting several responses analysis of student questionnaire responsesstrongly support the continuation to a particular question. An the teacher was not in the of the Anthropology 11E program.A brief discussion with students (while rooin) substantiated the questionnaireresponses by revealing a high interest inthe Anthropology program. In a second meeting on June 23rd the evaluation teamreviewed die original course outline with Messrs. Walker and Wilson and made further refinements to theexisting program.. 3 APPENDIX A RA TIONA LE AND BASICGENERA LIZA T IONS OF THE ANTHROPOLOGY 11ECOURSE 5 , or,F. ANTHROPOLOGY 11E COURSE RATIONALE AND BASICGENERALIZATIONS OF THE I.Rationale of the Course continually seeking to defineitself. For example, anessential distinguishing 1.Every society is the nation is a compositeof ethnic groups; this countryhas been the feature in Canada is that At the same time, these settlersdid not come into a promised land for many from overseas. highly developed traditionalcultures cultural or social vacuum;they arrived at a place where It is suggested flourished. Canada can beunderstood only when its complexnature is considered. course would be toemphasize the importance of nativeIndian that the task of an anthropology The problems of acculturation, and Eskimo cultures as they arekno:n in their traditional state. of the course. as related tosociology and political science,would form the conclusions can be defined as thestudy of traditional societies.As such, it 2.In this fashion, anthropology solving the eternal problemsof man: how to cope withhis studies organized human groups the relations of the membersof the group, environment, with himself,and his fellow man; with how to cope with theinevitability of death.All people have to face with the relations of groups; when.properly presented, hasrelevance and is of such problems.This is why anthropology, exceptional interest. they do not understand today's students are lo 1inginterest in society because 3.It seems evident that They must be offeredmaterials that are of vital it and because they do notfind their place in it. with be offered intellectualchallenge.Since anthropology deals human interest; and they must ha's already developed sophisticatedways of under- real people in their realsettings, and since it human mind, it is potentially oneof the standing the workings of society,of tradition, and of the most relevant academicfields. ILBasic Generalizations of theCourse those the course would tryto develop: The following generalizationswould probably be included among understood on its own terms. 1.All men are totally civilizedand every culture should be security they provide. 2.Kinship systems in a traditionalsociety are important for the the nature in which they areset 3.All societies have through timeworked out a balance between and the needs of man. 4. Man is distinguishedfrom other animals primarilybecause of his use of symbols. world view. 5.Language provides the growingmember of the society, with a relatively stable and struggle toremain so, they are continually 6.Althougb traditional cultures are changing. the NOTE: From the above it isintended to show that the course is notto be an introduction to theory of anthropology but one onand for the understanding ofsocieties. 5 -APPENDIX 'R ANTHROPOLOGY 11EPROGRAM EXPANDED COURSEOUTLINE OF THE 6 ANTHROPOLOGY 11E - EXPANDED COURSEOUTLINE UNIT I - Experiences in Anthropology As time permitted,material waspresented in the following manner: (a) formal lecture (b) discussion - lecture (fullclass participrting - if size permits). (c) seminar discussion groups (d) film or tapes with discussion (e) game or simulation situations (f)field trips bushman game and an A.Showing of film Remnants of Race(bushmen) leading into the Kalahari examination of the ways people use space.(School map, Vancouver map, archaeologicalsite maps, etc.)