Improving high school biology instruction in PG county Maryland (August 2006)

为了开始改善医学博士乔治王子县的生物教育，将于2006年8月初举办一个试点讲习班，重点是更新教师的知识和技能。 越来越明显的是，美国的生物学教育严重不足。 解决方案将需要大学和高中之间的伙伴关系，利用教授的专业知识，他们不仅是这些学科的专家，而且是教学材料的专家。 如果教师更好地了解化学，生物化学，分子生物学和遗传学是如何整合的，他们应该能够更好地向学生传达信息，他们将成为更好的准备公民，并为大学水平的科学做好准备。 试点讲习班的目的是提供至少一名教师从每个高中与材料的透彻理解，最好的方法来呈现困难的概念，学生，和问题集，旨在让学生主动学习。该提案要求提供资金，为30名教师举办为期两周、每天4小时的密集讲习班，涵盖75%的高中生物课程（生物化学、细胞生物学、分子生物学、遗传学），教师认为这是最有问题的课程。每天三个小时将致力于掌握AP生物学/入门大学水平的材料，一个小时致力于在10年级水平教学材料的策略。这一小时的中心将是家庭作业/课堂作业，旨在帮助学生掌握更复杂的生物机制的基础概念。如果这个试点计划是成功的，通过提高学生在国家评估考试中的表现来判断，目标是申请一个实质性的奖项，以扩大该计划，并帮助更多的教师在第二年，更新目前在该地区的所有生物教师的技能的目标。

To begin to improve biology education in Prince George's County, MD, a pilot workshop will be held in early August 2006, focusing on updating the knowledge and skills of teachers. It is increasingly evident that Biology education in the USA is seriously deficient. Solutions will necessitate partnerships between universities and high schools, tapping into the expertise of professors who not only are experts in the subjects, but experts in teaching the material. If teachers have a better understanding of how chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics are integrated, they should be able to better convey the information to their students, who will be better prepared citizens and ready for college level science. The pilot workshop is designed to provide at least one teacher from each high school with a thorough understanding of the material, best ways to present difficult concepts to students, and problem sets designed to engage students in active learning. The proposal is for funds to conduct an intensive four hours/day, two-week workshop for 30 teachers that will cover 75% of the high school biology curriculum (biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, genetics), which is viewed as the most problematic by teachers. Three hours each day will be devoted to mastering the material at the AP-biology/Introductory college level with one hour dedicated to strategies for teaching the material at the 10th grade level. Central to this hour will be homework/classroom assignments designed to help students master the fundamental concepts that underlie more complex biological mechanisms. If this pilot program is successful, as judged by improved student performance on state assessment exams, the objective is to apply for a substantial award to expand the program and help additional teachers the following year, with the goal of updating the skills of all biology teachers currently in the district.