Science feature fall 2016

Scientists explore, discover, create, fail, triumph, and learn.

By John Ferrari

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So do Webb students.

Webb’s science curriculum aims to do more than simply teach students about science: the school’s goal is to give students the opportunity to be scientists. In new electives, students will create and undertake their own research projects, formulating hypotheses and developing procedures and experiments to test them. Instead of simply learning what scientists already know, they’ll create new knowledge, experiencing the scientific process firsthand.

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Development of the new electives began two years ago, inspired in part by the successes of the Alf Museum’s paleontology program, in which students conduct original research and present the results in scientific journals or at professional conferences. Webb’s science faculty “wanted the kids to feel that sense of discovery and that sense of involvement and ownership over the direction of their education,” explains Science Department Chair John Lawrence. Webb’s recently revised science curriculum comprises a two-year sequence introducing freshmen and sophomores to scientific concepts and content in biology, physics and chemistry, leading to junior and senior year electives in which students have the opportunity to engage with their subjects as scientists.

The introductory courses provide students with a grounding in scientific principles and knowledge, but even these courses also allow students to participate in the scientific process through inquiry-based labs, a core element of both the introductory and elective courses. Traditional ‘kitchen’ or ‘cookbook’ labs, used in high schools for generations, present students with a set of procedures to follow, leading to a predetermined result. Inquiry-based labs, Lawrence explains, present a question. Working collaboratively, students develop a hypothesis, determine what data they need to test the hypothesis, and design and conduct procedures to collect the data. While teachers may guide and help students, the students create their own science experience. The inquiry-based model “emphasizes leadership, rather than passivity and following,” he says. “We are seeing students become better leaders, better active learners.” The model requires students to work through the problem-solving process, and that’s not as simple as going through the motions to complete a cookbook lab. Students say the introductory courses force them to work—and think—more, Lawrence says, “but it’s a stress like, ‘how are we going to figure this out?’ and that’s a good thing.”

Webb’s science electives build on the content and scientific mindset introduced in the students’ freshmen and sophomore years. In addition to Advanced Placement courses in biology, chemistry, environmental sciences and physics, as well as courses in environment solutions, and physics, this academic year Webb is introducing advanced studies electives in anatomy and physiology, biotechnology, and organic chemistry. The new courses leverage the science faculty’s interests and expertise. Advanced Studies in Anatomy and Physiology, for example, draws on instructor Kevin Quick’s experience as a physical therapist—and it will be much more interactive than the traditional Anatomy 101 lecture course. With each new course topic, groups of students will be presented with a virtual patient presenting symptoms the students must diagnose, a technique that will engage students with the subject, foster a deeper understanding of the material and build problem-solving skills, Quick says.

Webb Magazine • Fall 2016

“I can’t really tell you what the kids are going to do because Advanced Studies in Biotechnology combines instructor Lisa Blomberg’s background in protein biochemistry and her enthusiasm for field research. “A lot of topics in science didn’t really make sense to me until I started doing research,” recalls Blomberg, but she also feels that research conducted entirely in a lab setting is lacking, especially in a field like biology. The new elective places biology in the context of ecology, enlisting students in an ongoing project to use DNA collected from Webb and the surrounding area to precisely catalog the region’s flora.

“I’ve been thinking about this course for a long time,” she says.

The course will teach students lab techniques and theory first, after which they will have opportunities to develop their own research questions and projects. In essence, Blomberg says, the course will give students a toolbox, which they can then use to explore their own interests—solving problems and developing research strategies and methods as they do.

I don’t know yet, and that’s awesome.”

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their stuff. They have to be knowledgeable about the cutting edge in their field.” In addition to skilled faculty, a hands-on science curriculum requires facilities capable of supporting student research— a goal the school has been working toward since development of the new curriculum began. Webb’s two existing lab spaces have been completely renovated as interdisciplinary science labs including state-of-the-art work stations and a layout designed for student-driven work and collaboration.

“We put a lot of thought into the redesign,” says Blomberg, ensuring the labs are optimized both as spaces to teach science and as areas to practice science. “That’s critical to the success of our advanced courses.” The end result, she says, is labs that are “more like what you would see at the college level.”

The school also created a new position for a full-time laboratory technician to support Webb faculty and students, and planning for construction of an additional lab is underway.

The new science courses will take students beyond Webb’s labs and campus, too:

“The more we engage students in active learning the more likely they are to retain the material.”

Advanced Studies in Organic Chemistry allows instructor Sally Mingarelli and her students to study one important group of molecules extensively, instead of rushing through a much broader range of topics, and she is excited about that opportunity. Like Blomberg’s biotechnology course, the organic chemistry course will begin with lab techniques and theory, after which students will develop projects to isolate and manipulate organic molecules. “I can’t really tell you what the kids are going to do because I don’t know yet,” says Mingarelli, “and that’s awesome.”

That brings up a key point, says Theresa Smith, Webb’s director of academic affairs: the school’s inquiry—and skills-based science curriculum is challenging for teachers, as well as students. “They have to be ready to explain any question the student raises,” Smith explains, “so these teachers know

Webb Magazine • Fall 2016

each includes a partnership with an academic institution. These partnerships just make sense, says Smith, in a hub of colleges and research universities—and they give Webb students access to world-class resources and knowledge. Advanced Studies in Anatomy and Physiology students, for example, will be able to make use of the J and K Virtual Reality Learning Center at the Western University of Health Sciences. Using the center’s Anatomage Virtual Dissection Table, students will be able to ‘dissect’ a body in detail, examining each layer and structure, while the center’s virtual reality headsets let students ‘journey’ through the body. “They can really see how complicated and beautiful human anatomy is,” explains Associate Professor of Anatomy and Dental Medicine Vicki Wedel. “And the more we engage students in active learning as opposed to sitting through a lecture… the more likely they are to retain the material.” As they design and complete their research projects, students in Webb’s advanced biotechnology and organic chemistry courses will have access to facilities at University of California, Riverside and Pomona College, respectively. Webb’s biotechnology courses draw on The Dynamic Genome, a course developed by UC Riverside’s Biology Department as a research-focused alternative to more traditional, lecture-heavy biology courses. Enrolled students use the Neil A. Campbell Science Learning Laboratory, equipped with thermocyclers, polymerase chain reaction equipment, compound microscopes, and iPads for data analysis and database searches—all equipment Webb students will have access to through the school’s partnership with the university.

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The student-driven research, the lab facilities, the academic partnerships; they’re all the end result of the curriculum development process. But the impetus for the refreshed curriculum is to provide students with skills and habits of mind crucial for the 21st century—the same impetus that led to the development of Webb’s new humanities courses and the school’s emphasis on interdisciplinary courses. At Webb, in college and throughout their careers, students will need to be comfortable with ‘unbounded thinking,’ a term coined by alumnus Robert Hefner ’52. Today’s Webb students will have between six and 10 different jobs over the course of their working life, says Smith, so “being robust learners is what they’re going to need to be.” Two skills stand out for unbounded thinking and robust learning: problem-solving and critical analysis. In today’s academic and career environment, anyone with Internet access can find information with a few keystrokes—it’s what you can do with that information that’s important. As Smith points out, it’s easy to learn information—using that information to solve problems is more difficult.

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Across academic disciplines, Webb’s curricula emphasize flexible skills over rote memorization.

This philosophy is a natural fit for the sciences; after all, Lawrence notes, problem-solving and critical thinking are integral to science. “Those,” he says, “are real scientist methodologies.” And increasingly, they are methodologies important across all career fields and in civic life. The Next Generation Science Standards consortium—whose findings and recommendations informed the development of Webb’s science curriculum—notes that a strong background in science and math is “essential preparation for all careers in the modern workforce.” Beyond that, it’s essential in civic life—as individuals must consider issues ranging from energy sources to social policy—and private life, for decisions ranging from health care to retirement planning.

“The Opportunity Equation: Transforming Mathematics and Science Education for Citizenship and the Global Economy,” a 2009 report by the Carnegie Corporation of New York—Institute for Advanced Study Commission on Mathematics and Science Education, concludes: “We know that math and science are fundamental to sound decision making and to an ever-widening range of careers in nearly every sector, from technology and research to business, teaching, health, community development, and human services.

We also know that, in today’s economy, the sharp division between preparing for higher education and preparing for a career has effectively disappeared.”

“Students must also learn by struggling with real-world problems...”

Webb’s science curriculum prepares students for higher education and careers in any field by emphasizing skills and habits of mind, as well as providing students with a strong background in scientific principles. When students encounter new questions in Webb’s science courses, they must think in new ways to reach an answer, Lawrence explains. In addition to these flexible, problem-solving skills, Webb’s inquiry-based science curriculum builds critical reasoning skills, Mingarelli adds— and that’s crucial in the information-saturated 21st century. “People who lack that skill are so easily persuaded,” Mingarelli says. “Skepticism is important,” not only in science, but in any area that presents competing claims and data, from government policy options to financial decisions.

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“All of these habits of mind are really applicable in all aspects of life,” says Blomberg. From designing and implementing a controlled experiment—which emphasizes the ability to compare options—to controlling factors—which requires thinking objectively—students can take the skills they build in science courses and use them in any area, she notes. “The Opportunity Equation” mirrors her insight: “Like literacy, math and science embody habits of mind and methods for discerning meaning that enable students to learn deeply and critically in all areas. Just as adults need math and science to understand the world and function within it, students need math and science to understand and master subjects such as history, geography, music, and art.”

Beyond that, and more immediate to the student experience, Webb’s hands-on science courses instill a familiarity with both concepts and procedures scientists use, and enable them to see themselves as scientists. “The Opportunity Equation” argues that a full understanding of science as a human endeavor does not come from textbooks alone. “Learning math and science from textbooks is not enough,” it states. “Students must also learn by struggling with real-world problems, theorizing possible answers, and testing solutions.” And studies suggest that involvement in authentic scientific research increases students’ persistence in science, both in college and as a potential career field, a correlation that’s especially strong for women and minorities, says Jim Burnette, a professor and academic coordinator for UC Riverside’s College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. Engaging students in research early “inoculates” them against less-than-exciting lectures, he adds. “The opportunity to do real science is inspirational,” says Smith. And in the 21st century—in any field—students “have to be able to problem solve in the world,” Quick says. “They have to think on their own.”

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