Simply Speaking.

As we prepare for a new century, states across the nation are rallying behind the standards movement and, consequently, education is frequently in the media spotlight. Recently, a local Virginia newspaper used information from a study conducted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science to focus on teaching science at the middle school level. The article noted that the study found that most middle school science textbooks are voluminous, but lacking in depth. In fact, "the books are factually correct but don't help teach how the facts fit into the larger theories of science" (Taylor, 1999). The generalization implies that if our students had better written and more advanced texts, they would score better on international science tests.

Most teachers are not surprised that textbooks have been found lacking, but we question the simplistic thinking that more advanced texts would improve test scores. Those who have served on textbook adoption committees are keenly aware of the strengths and limitations of texts. Although the text is an instructional tool, it does not constitute the entire science curriculum, nor should it be expected to do so. To understand the complexity of teaching science or any content area in a middle school, we must immerse ourselves in the lives of the young adolescents. Their energy is unmatched, and their need for interactions with their peers is paramount. Middle schools are homes to the mature, the immature, and all of those students who fall in between. Just when we start to view them as very adult-like, they surprise us with the immature thinking of a child. At times, their intellectual growth is amazing; then again, it can be dismal. Young adolescents are truly works in progress.

Perhaps one of the most important variables in student learning in any content area is the teacher. Middle school teachers are a strange lot; they really like the students they teach. In fact, they find a unique chemistry as they interact with students using a blend of humor, patience, and understanding. No matter how good a science text may be, middle schoolers will not be engaged in learning without the enthusiasm and guiding hand of a knowledgeable teacher.

If we are to properly teach young adolescents about science, we need teachers with inquiring minds who know how to create environments that foster curiosity, encourage risk-taking, and involve students as co-learners and investigators. In these classrooms, the textbook is a resource and a guide, of course, but many other materials accommodate student diversity such as CD-ROMs, videos, journal articles, and the Internet, as well as lab equipment and materials. We want the most carefully developed and meaningful textbooks on the market, but we must call into question the notion that better textbooks alone will improve students' test scores. We do so because we understand the complexities of teaching and learning.

To counter simplistic solutions, teachers need to be advocates for schools, programs, and, especially, the students. In The Road Less Traveled and Beyond (1997), Scott Peck cautions us about outcomes of simplistic thinking: "When we think simplistically about everything, we set ourselves up to always expect simple solutions, obvious answers, and clear results even in complex situations" (p. 45). Simply speaking, increasing student learning in science is not just about textbooks or "simple solutions, obvious answers, and clear results." It is about variables that are complex and interdependent because they involve human factors--the lives of students and teachers.

References

Peck, S. M. (1997). The road less traveled and beyond. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Taylor, J. (1999, October 31). Educators learn science of textbook use. The Roanoke Times.

Vicki Linkous is Associate Professor, Middle Level Education, Radford University, Radford, Virginia.