I. Role of the Teacher-Scientist Partnership

The teacher-scientist partnership is crucial to the implementation of this program. The Seattle program is supported by three scientists and seven lead teachers at six different schools. The program director, Maureen Munn, with the aid of high school teacher, Patrick Ehrman, developed and tested lab protocols in the university lab. The teachers helped test these protocols in their classrooms, advised on classroom strategies and helped to write, edit and critique curriculum. The ethics component of this project was developed under the guidance of medical ethicist/geneticist, Sharon Durfy, and her graduate student, Robert Hansen. This curriculum has also been tested in our pilot classrooms.

This program is supported by a host of volunteers who contribute to many aspects of the planning and development, as well as classroom presentations. Our volunteers include under-graduate and graduate students, post docs and professionals from such diverse fields as philosophy, medicine, genetic counseling, mathematics, toxicology and molecular biology. We are also collaborating with the Department of Chemistry at the University of Washington in presenting a Science Service Learning course. The undergraduates participating in this course receive training in the relevant science and technology, and then they assist in kit assembly and classroom presentations. The unique personal and educational histories of these volunteers provide interesting perspectives to program development and stimulating role models for the high school students.

Role of the teacher(s):

1. Teachers prepare their students prior to doing the experiments by covering the appropriate background material in class, including the structure of DNA, the cell cycle and DNA replication.

2. During the experiment, the teacher leads the students through the introductions, experimental procedures, and discussions of questions and results. The supporting scientist may team teach, depending on the style and preference of the teacher.

3. The teacher, scientist and/or supporting volunteer(s) set up the classroom lab, demonstrate techniques, and generally mingle with the students to offer help during the experiment.

4. Teachers are the major presenters during training workshops.

Role of the scientist(s):

1. In setting up a new site, the scientist will need to play a major role in writing grants for supporting funds. These are required for the initial purchase of equipment and ongoing purchase of supplies, and for salary(ies) for laboratory support. Depending on the size of the operation, a university lab or biotechnology company may be able to provide most of the necessary equipment from their stock. A list of equipment, supplies and the suppliers is provided.

2. The assembly of the equipment and supply kits is the responsibility of the supporting scientist. This includes preparing and aliquoting reagents for each student group, pouring gels and ensuring that all the necessary materials are packed into the kit. A list of kit contents is included.

3. During the classroom experiment, the scientist and/or a trained volunteer assist(s) the teacher in the setup and presentation of the experiment and fielding questions from the students. It's especially important that there be a trained person present when electrophoresis is underway to help set up and use the apparatus correctly.

4. In addition to facilitating this experiment, scientists and other volunteers bring an important different perspective to the classroom. Students are really interested in what scientists do and may have had little opportunity to interact with a working scientist. They are interested in discussing career paths and opportunities, what people do in various fields, etc.

Back to Main Page