BSCS Science Learning: Transforming Science Education Through Inquiry

BSCS Science Learning, formerly known as the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS), is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming science teaching and learning. Founded in 1958, BSCS has been at the forefront of science education, developing innovative curricular materials, providing educational support, and conducting research to improve science education for all. BSCS envisions a world where everyone is inspired and prepared to use science to build a better future, with each individual possessing a scientific understanding that enhances their lives, contributes to their communities, and fosters career success. To achieve this vision, BSCS is committed to ensuring that all young people have access to a high-quality science education.

A Legacy of Innovation

BSCS Science Learning has a rich history of innovation in science education. In response to the Sputnik crisis in the late 1950s, BSCS developed updated high school biology textbooks that gained widespread use across the nation. These textbooks emphasized key biological themes such as science as inquiry, the complementarity of structure and function, genetic continuity, and evolution. The organization played a pivotal role in re-introducing evolution into high school textbooks in the 1960s, remaining steadfast in its commitment to scientifically accurate instructional materials despite pressures to dilute or qualify the subject.

Over the years, BSCS has remained committed to the idea that science is not just something you know but something you do. Both scientific knowledge and scientific know-how are critically important to life in the modern age. BSCS's views on what it means to understand and do science have evolved, as have its views about why it is important. Today, BSCS has a deeper appreciation of the importance of science education for personal and civic lives. They are working to prepare young people for decisions in the doctor’s office, the feed store, and the voting booth, along with building the foundation they will need if they choose to continue on to STEM careers.

Anchored Inquiry Learning (AIL): A New Approach

BSCS continues to develop and refine its instructional models to meet the evolving needs of science education. Their latest model, Anchored Inquiry Learning (AIL), builds upon the 5E model and emphasizes learning through inquiry. AIL is designed to provide learners with motivated and coherent learning experiences, where students conduct investigations and generate the majority of the information that they need to construct their own understanding of science.

The AIL model is designed to be teacher- and student-friendly. Given this dramatic shift, AIL may feel new or different for teachers and students. AIL emphasizes that students should:

Spend more time investigating phenomena deeply.
Set a goal for learning that is motivated by students’ curiosities and ideas about phenomena.
Not just ‘practice’ science skills, but truly engage with scientific concepts.
Struggle, but productively, confronting limits in their understanding which can be used to identify where to go next.

AIL units of instruction feature a pattern of inquiry cycles composed of five lesson types, bookended by the Anchor Lesson and the Culminating Task Lesson. An inquiry cycle begins with a series of Investigate Lessons where students figure out key science ideas and crosscutting concepts through engagement with the science and engineering practices. The inquiry cycle culminates with a Synthesize Lesson where students build consensus and revise their explanatory model or solution to a problem.

Each lesson type is characterized by a sequence of classroom routines. These routines are a unique feature of AIL that BSCS believes capture the essence of phenomenon-driven inquiry learning in science. The routines form the core of the instructional model from which all lessons and units are built. They are called routines because they are the kinds of activities that occur regularly in a science classroom using AIL. For students, repeated use of the routines provides predictable structure and reveals connections allowing them to construct a coherent science content storyline.

BSCS Biology: Understanding for Life

The first curriculum project using the AIL model is BSCS Biology: Understanding for Life. This flagship biology program engages students in making sense of real-world phenomena, such as the prevalence of coyotes in diverse environments. Through investigation, students develop new understandings of biodiversity, ecosystem interactions, natural selection, human impact, and conservation. They plan and carry out investigations, use mathematics and computational thinking, analyze and interpret data, and engage in other activities called for by today’s rigorous science standards. And then they are prompted to do something with their new understanding.

In developing Anchored Inquiry Learning, BSCS drew upon several new and innovative phenomenon-driven instructional models-for example, those used by Next Generation Storylines, Inquiry Hub, and the OpenSciEd program.

Professional Learning: Empowering Educators

BSCS recognizes that high-quality instructional materials are not enough. Teachers need professional learning to effectively implement these materials and create student-centered, phenomena-driven learning experiences. BSCS designs, develops, and leads intensive professional learning programs, ranging from a week to multiple years. They specialize in more intensive programs that develop the knowledge and capacity of teachers over extended periods of time through a combination of conceptual learning, classroom practice, and reflection in professional communities.

Analysis of classroom videos is a centerpiece of BSCS's professional learning programs for teachers. Teachers watch and analyze videos of other teachers and then of themselves to learn how to improve their own classroom practice.

Jody Bintz, Associate Director for Strategic Partnerships and Professional Learning with BSCS Science Learning, emphasizes the importance of pairing high-quality science materials with aligned professional learning for teachers to support student-centered, phenomena-driven science learning. She notes that using high-quality instructional materials designed for NGSS is a significant shift in teaching and learning, and most teachers aren’t fully prepared to take that on without curriculum-based professional learning.

BSCS provides authentic and continuous professional development that helps develop teachers as learners and facilitators in order to increase student learning in the science classroom.

Resources and Programs

BSCS offers a variety of resources and programs to support science educators, including:

OpenSciEd High School Physics Course: A complete one-year program that is now freely available.
Invitations to Inquiry: Instructional activities designed to help middle and high school students work with community and citizen science data. These include units where students explore weather, climate, and water cycling, and investigate how sounds can cause objects at a distance to move.
Archived Resources: A page of archived resources for teachers of geography, environmental science, or similar classes.

The 5E Instructional Model

The BSCS 5E Instructional Model has its origins with the work of earlier science educators, in particular the Karplus and Thier learning cycle developed for the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS). The findings reported in the National Research Council research summary How People Learn supports the design and sequence of the BSCS 5E Instructional Model. Since the late 1980s, BSCS has used the 5E Instructional Model extensively in the development of new curriculum materials and professional learning experiences.

Read also: Choosing a Social Science Major

The 5Es stand for:

Engage: Spark curiosity and assess prior knowledge.
Explore: Conduct hands-on activities and investigations.
Explain: Develop explanations and communicate understanding.
Elaborate: Apply concepts and extend learning to new situations.
Evaluate: Assess understanding and reflect on learning.

Research and Evaluation

BSCS conducts research and evaluation to inform future science education programs and services. One such study involves the development of an inquiry-based, multidisciplinary science curriculum for eighth grade, containing five units: science as inquiry, physical science, life science, earth and space, and science in a personal and social perspective. The curriculum is developed using a three-stage process: identifying science content aligned with standards, developing assessment tasks, and developing an outline for each unit. The project's Advisory Board and a panel of science content experts review the curriculum units and assessments throughout the development process.

Supporting BSCS Science Learning

BSCS Science Learning is a proud 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations to BSCS help transform science teaching and learning, bringing the best in science education to all young learners and influencing the next generation of scientists and problem solvers. By supporting BSCS, individuals participate in the pursuit to change the landscape of K-12 science.

Testimonials

Educators and supporters alike praise BSCS for its commitment to quality science education and its innovative approaches to teaching and learning:

"BSCS has since been synonymous in my mind with striving towards innovative and research-based approaches in science education."
"BSCS fosters a professional community that mirrors the learning environments we might wish for our students: purposeful, creative, reflective, deliberative, collaborative, caring, and joyful."
"It's no wonder that BSCS has been at the vanguard of supporting science education for years - and for years to come."
"I donate to BSCS to further quality science education for all kids. The last four years politically surely showed us that everyone needs more science knowledge if we are to not only survive but to thrive."
"BSCS is genuine and passionate in their quest to develop and help implement effective, inquiry-based materials. Additionally, BSCS provides authentic and continuous professional development that helps develop teachers as learners and facilitators in order to increase student learning in the science classroom."

Addressing Challenges in Science Education

BSCS recognizes the challenges facing science educators today, particularly in light of disrupted learning environments. They emphasize the importance of maintaining personal connections and learner-centered approaches, whether working with kids or adults. BSCS also cautions against "worksheet mania" and advocates for providing students with the resources they need to engage in meaningful learning experiences, such as Zoom meetings with breakout rooms and access to technology and internet connectivity.

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