Many teachers and scientists are finding science is not what it used to be.

The sciences are changing with new discoveries and the simplification of previously complex ideas. With these developments, many educators are advocating a change in the way students are taught.

Most schools start with biology and earth science, in interchangeable order, followed by chemistry and physics, usually in junior and senior year, respectively. However, biology is now becoming the more difficult of the sciences with students being introduced to many new ideas and vocabulary. Some educators feel having a basic physics course in the ninth grade will help students understand other sciences.

"Where in the past biology was memorizing basic facts, now it is understanding the dynamics of how systems interact," said Geoffrey Rogers, a physics professor and head of the Color Science Program at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

Nancy Lynch, a Long Island biology and chemistry teacher, agreed. In ecology, "students study the interactions between living things and the non-living environment," said Lynch, a member of the East Islip Teachers Association. "They have to understand how a change in one environment can affect the other."

Many students are overwhelmed when they receive their biology textbooks full of strange words and technical material, Lynch said.

"In physics, students learn about simple dynamical systems such as the relationship between position, acceleration and velocity of a falling ball," explained Rogers, a member of United College Employees at FIT. He is a member of the New York State United Teachers Subject Area Committee for Science.

If students have an understanding of basic physics, they will better understand biological dynamics. Marcella Fugle, director of the Southtown Teachers' Center in the Buffalo suburbs, said, "It really makes sense to switch the sequence because some of the subject matter for physics is needed for chemistry, and they're both needed for biology."

Understanding the forces at work on a falling ball, something all students can relate to, can help later on with understanding the interactions of systems in biology.

Practical applications

Jean Delfiner, a retired high school chemistry and general science teacher from the United Federation of Teachers in New York City, and director of Hudson Valley Council of Technical Societies, agreed that the sequence should be switched to include physics first. Delfiner said students should be taught more practical science applications, such as:

• how appliances work;

• why one should avoid mixing certain chemicals; and

• why one should not stick a finger in an electrical socket.

Most science teachers New York Teacher interviewed agree the sequence can and should be switched, with modification. The math could be simplified for ninth-grade physics. According to Bill Lynch, a physics teacher in East Islip who is married to Nancy Lynch, an exam other than the current Regents Exam for college-bound students will need to be developed for those taking physics in the ninth grade.

Some educators have doubts. Brian Vorwald, an earth science teacher from the Sayville Teachers Association, questioned whether

rearranging the sequence would help students. "In the ninth grade, students haven't developed abstract reasoning and cognitive abilities," said Vorwald. The new state syllabus is very quantitative, and he does not believe ninth-grade students are prepared to handle physics. "All students should have physics experience in high school, but approaching it in that way (physics first) would not be a very prudent thing to do."

Others believe that switching the sequence may not be enough. Rogers said students should have two years of physics - basic physics in the ninth grade and advanced physics senior year. Delfiner is an advocate of more physical science in earlier grades. "It's heading in the right direction right now, but it has to be thought out very carefully."

- Butler

One district that tried physics first

Bill and Nancy Lynch have firsthand experience with a physics-first program that had mixed results.

More than 10 years ago, East Islip High experimented with ninth-grade physics for their honors-track students. The students learned a regular Regents-physics curriculum.

The students experienced great success, according to the Lynches, a married couple who are both science teachers in East Islip.

Nancy Lynch, who worked with the students in her 11th-grade honors biology classes, noticed the students were understanding the information - as opposed to the memorization displayed by the average biology student.

"Having physics first made a huge difference in the students' success in biology later on," said Lynch. "Even the weakest of the honors students scored 600 or above (out of 800) on the biology achievement test," she said.

Bill Lynch, who taught the students who had taken ninth-grade physics in his senior year AP physics class, said, "There's a lot to be gained by teaching physics first. It teaches logical thinking and problem solving."

Both teachers stressed that honors-track students succeeded in East Islip. Many non-honors students found the mathematical aspect of the course too difficult, and it was ended after about five years.

Many parents wanted their children in the program but did not take into consideration that their children might not be able to do the work, said Bill Lynch.

"It makes sense to switch the order with the provision that the course be modified to some degree for an average student," he said. "If the course is not modified, the initial results with average students will be very unsuccessful."

The state's effort on standards and exams

As part of New York's initiative to upgrade standards, the state is preparing new science curriculum outlines and making plans for tougher Regents Exams, beginning with earth science and biology in 2001.

Beginning with those entering ninth grade this fall, all New York students will be required to pass at least one science Regents Exam.

The state mandates no sequence for science courses, nor does it mandate which science a student must pass a Regents in, according to Diana Harding, an associate in science education for the State Education Department.

Information about the state's Math, Science and Technology curriculum and assessments is available at the SED Web site, www.nysed.gov/mst/.