A Comparative Investigation On The Experimental Part Of Molecular And Cell In The Sino-US High School Mainstream Biology Textbooks

Textbooks are compiled according to the curriculum standards.They are not only the refinement of the curriculum standards but also the most basic teaching resources,and the compilation quality of the textbook directly affects the education quality.Experiments are the main means of scientific inquiry and play a pivotal role in the science curriculum.As biology is a science course,experiment is an indispensable part of biology,and it is a key content in biology textbooks.Experiments play an important role in many aspects,such as stimulating the interest of students in learning,strengthening the practical ability,experiencing the general methods and processes of scientific inquiry,and forming the realistic attitude towards science and a creative spirit.New curriculum standard proposed the core literacy of biology,including four dimensions of concept of life,scientific thinking,scientific inquiry,and social responsibility,and the experiment is an important method to promote the achievement of the core literacy of biology.In particular,the habits of scientific thinking and the ability of scientific inquiry can be well formed and developed in the processing of experiments.Therefore,optimization of experimental teaching will be of great significance to develop the students' core quality of biology and the effective achievement of teaching objectives.On the basis of the existing literature research,this paper adopts the method of comparative study to compare the experiments in the mainstream biology textbooks of high schools in China and the United States.The selected textbooks are the most widely used PEP for high school biology textbooks in China,and the book of “Biology,the dynamics of life” in “Discovery Science” series books for mainstream science textbooks in the United States,and the specific research object is the experimental part of the "Molecules and Cells" module in the two textbooks.On the basis of the comparative investigation on the Chinese high school biology curriculum standards and American scientific education standards,all experiments in the "molecular and cell" module were selected and the comparative analysis was conducted from more than ten perspectives of two textbooks.By comparing China's high school biology curriculum standard with America's national science education standard,it is found that both China and the United States attach great importance to scientific inquiry experiment in high school biology experiment teaching.Furthermore,compared with the experiments in the two countries' textbooks,there are some conclusions:For the catalog layout,the American edition is more detailed than the Chinese version.In terms of number and type of experiments,the number and types of experiments in the American edition are more than those in the Chinese version.Where the simple operation and short time-consuming of "mini" experiment,no need operation with "skill experiment" and sharing data of network biology experiment are three merits in the textbook of American edition.In respect of experimental titles,the experimental titles in PEP edition are longer,and they are mostly declarative sentences with detailed and clear expressions.On the contrary,it is relatively short in the American version,and questions or topics of interest are often used as the title,which can attract students' interest in learning.For the setting of experiment item,the column setup of exploratory experiments in the American version of textbooks is quite similar to that in the PEP edition.The "mini-experiment" and "skill experiment" columns are set up simply,almost all the experiment processes in the PEP edition textbook are very clear,and they are more detailed on the experimental procedure and have more uniform column settings.On the experimental goal,almost all experiments have clear goals and objectives in the PEP edition textbook,which mainly reflected in terms of biological skills requirements.Only the inquiry experiments list the research goal in the American version of textbook,while other experiments have not been presented.In terms of experimental materials selection,many of the experimental materials in the textbooks in China and the United States are drawn from life,and the experimental materials in the American edition are more closely related to life.In respect of the use of experimental languages,the Chinese PEP version uses the second person and declarative sentences mostly,while the American version has more usage on the first person and interrogative sentences.As for experimental illustrations,the number of experimental illustrations in the US version is more than that of the PEP,and the pictures are more vivid and bright,and most of them are real pictures.The experimental illustrations of PEP are many patterns,and the picture notes are more detailed.On the experimental operations,the experiments in the US version of textbooks are simpler and take less time.Moreover,they require less experimental conditions,materials and equipment,and are more operable.They also train more students in rational thinking.By contrast,the PEP's experimental procedures are more complicated,and students have more opportunities on operation.In the aspect of experimental safety,the American edition attaches great importance to the safety of experimental operation,while the version of the PEP is not high enough.In terms of interdisciplinary,the American edition pays more attention to the connection between biology and other disciplines,while the Chinese version pays less attention to the infiltration of experimental knowledge into other disciplines.In STS education,both Chinese and American textbooks focus on the close connection between biology and science,technology and society.For the core quality of biology,both Chinese and American textbooks attach great importance to the cultivation of students' ability of scientific inquiry through experiments,and American textbooks attach particular importance to the cultivation of students' ability of scientific thinking.The social responsibility is reflected more in the American textbooks and the concept of life is also infiltrated more.However,the infiltration of the core accomplishment of these two dimensions is not deep enough in both of the two versions.At last,through the comparisons between the two editions of textbooks in China and the United States from more than a dozen aspects,their similarities and differences are analyzed.Some suggestions have been made to relevant textbook editors and implementers,hoping to have a certain reference value for the improvement of our country's biological experiment teaching.By referring to our research results,the experimental teaching of biology in senior high schools in China can be further improved,and then the level of education in our country is able to be raised,which would lead to promoting the attainment of disciplinary core accomplishments and accelerating the pace of educational reform.Finally,we will make efforts to realize the fundamental tasks of taking high moral values establishment and people cultivation.