Reforming Science Education/Reforming Physiology Education

Abstract

Calls for reform of American science education go back at least to the early twentieth century, and in recent years there has been a plethora of reports and recommendations about how to “fix” the problems that have been identified. One notable problem is the continued focus on breadth versus depth of understanding in STEM disciplines. In part, this reflects the enormous expansion of knowledge in all fields of science. One consequence is that more is known than can possibly be mastered by students.

All recent reports calling for significant change in American science education have included recommendations that learning objectives focus on the mastery of core concepts as opposed to the mere accumulation of ever more facts.

Physiology faces the same challenges as all of the other STEM disciplines. However, it also faces a number of additional challenges that call for changes in the way we teach. Physiology is hard for students to learn because more is known than they can learn. In addition, the very nature of the disciplines poses problems for students. Physiology is hard to teach because the wide spectrum of students taking physiology courses, the inherent nature of the discipline, and because the goal of physiology teaching is meaningful learning, not the accumulation of facts.

A focus on core concepts of physiology can help students achieve meaningful learning and can help teachers facilitate the acquisition of meaningful learning.