Editing Science education (section)

==Historical background==

The first person credited with being employed as a science teacher in a British [[public school (privately funded)|public school]] was [[William Sharp (homeopath)|William Sharp]], who left the job at [[Rugby School]] in 1850 after establishing science to the curriculum. Sharp is said to have established a model for science to be taught throughout the [[British public school]] system.<ref name=odnb>Bernard Leary, 'Sharp, William (1805–1896)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Oct 2005 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/25223, Retrieved 22 May 2010]</ref>

The [[British Association for the Advancement of Science]] (BAAS) published a report in 1867<ref>{{cite book |author=Layton, D. |chapter=The schooling of science in England, 1854–1939 |editor1-first=R.M. |editor1-last=MacLeod |editor2-first=P.D.B. |editor2-last=Collins |title=The parliament of science |publisher=Science Reviews |location=Northwood, England |year=1981 |isbn=978-0905927664 |pages=188–210 |oclc=8172024}}</ref> calling for the teaching of "pure science" and training of the "scientific habit of mind." The [[progressive education]] movement supported the ideology of mental training through the sciences. BAAS emphasized separate pre-professional training in secondary science education. In this way, future BAAS members could be prepared.

The initial development of science teaching was slowed by the lack of qualified teachers. One key development was the founding of the first [[London School Board]] in 1870, which discussed the school curriculum; another was the initiation of courses to supply the country with trained science teachers. In both cases the influence of [[Thomas Henry Huxley#Educational influence|Thomas Henry Huxley]]. [[John Tyndall]] was also influential in the teaching of physical science.<ref>{{cite book |author=Bibby, Cyril |title=T.H. Huxley: scientist, humanist and educator |publisher=Watts |location=London |year=1959 |oclc=747400567 }}</ref>

In the United States, science education was a scatter of subjects prior to its standardization in the 1890s.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Del Giorno, B.J. |title=The impact of changing scientific knowledge on science education in the United States since 1850 |journal=Science Education |volume=53 |issue=3 |pages=191–5 |date=April 1969 |doi=10.1002/sce.3730530304 |bibcode=1969SciEd..53..191G }}</ref> The development of a science curriculum emerged gradually after extended debate between two ideologies, citizen science and pre-professional training. As a result of a conference of thirty leading secondary and college educators in Florida, the National Education Association appointed a Committee of Ten in 1892, which had authority to organize future meetings and appoint subject matter committees of the major subjects taught in secondary schools. The committee was composed of ten educators and chaired by Charles Eliot of Harvard University. The Committee of Ten appointed nine conferences committees: [[Latin]]; [[Greek language|Greek]]; [[English studies|English]]; Other [[Modern Languages]]; [[Mathematics]]; [[History]]; [[Civil Government]] and [[Political Economy]]; physics, astronomy, and chemistry; natural history; and geography. Each committee was composed of ten leading specialists from colleges, normal schools, and secondary schools. Committee reports were submitted to the Committee of Ten, which met for four days in [[New York City]], to create a comprehensive report.<ref name="nea">National Education Association (1894). Report of the Committee of Ten on Secondary School Studies with the Reports of the Conferences Arranged by The Committee. New York: The American Book Company [https://archive.org/details/reportcommittee00studgoog <!-- quote=report of the committee of ten on secondary school studies. --> Read the Book Online]</ref> In 1894, the NEA published the results of the work of these conference committees.<ref name="nea"/>

According to the Committee of Ten, the goal of high school was to prepare all students to do well in life, contributing to their well-being and the good of society. Another goal was to prepare some students to succeed in college.<ref>{{cite web |author=Weidner, L |title=The N.E.A. Committee of Ten  |url=http://www3.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/neacom10.html}}</ref>

This committee supported the citizen science approach focused on mental training and withheld performance in science studies from consideration for college entrance.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Hurd, P.D. |title=Closing the educational gaps between science, technology, and society |journal=Theory into Practice |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=251–9 |year=1991 |doi=10.1080/00405849109543509 |s2cid=143407609 }}</ref> The BAAS encouraged their longer standing model in the UK.<ref>{{cite book |author=Jenkins, E. |chapter=History of science education |editor1-first=T. |editor1-last=Husén |editor2-first=T.N. |editor2-last=Postlethwaite |title=International encyclopedia of education |publisher=Pergamon Press |location=Oxford |year=1985 |isbn=978-0080281193 |pages=4453–6 }}</ref> The US adopted a curriculum was characterized as follows:<ref name="nea"/>

* Elementary science should focus on simple natural phenomena (nature study) by means of experiments carried out "in-the-field."
* Secondary science should focus on laboratory work and the committee's prepared lists of specific experiments
* Teaching of facts and principles
* College preparation

The format of shared mental training and pre-professional training consistently dominated the curriculum from its inception to now. However, the movement to incorporate a [[humanism|humanistic]] approach, such as inclusion of the arts [[STEAM fields|(S.T.E.A.M.)]], [[science, technology, society and environment education]] is growing and being implemented more broadly in the late 20th century. Reports by the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), including Project 2061, and by the National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessment detail goals for science education that link classroom science to practical applications and societal implications.