TEACHING BIOLOGY THROUGH IMMUNOLOGY FELLOWSHIPS

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DESCRIPTION (adapted from applicant's abstract): The goal of this program is to establish a working partnership among professional scientists, secondary school teachers, and curriculum specialists to develop and disseminate curriculum materials, based on laboratory research, which enhance secondary school science education. An important objective is to target minority teachers or teachers in minority-rich schools to pair with AAI members toward achieving these goals. Further, the investigators wish to promote participation in science education programs by AAI members via mentoring workshops and increased visibility of teachers' activities at the American Association of Immunologists annual meeting. Specifically, the program is designed to provide research fellowships for secondary school teachers to work in active Immunology research laboratories. It is expected that this experience will enhance their instructional skills and scientific knowledge so those up-to-date fundamental concepts in health science (especially Immunology) can be better integrated into current curriculum. Since sufficient innovative exercises illustrating the fundamental principles and concepts/n Immunology are not generally available, the teachers will be required to develop lesson plans based on their laboratory experience, and formulate them with the aid of curriculum specialists. The investigators also plan to extend this program to include the education of the mentors as to reasonable expectations for the teachers in their laboratory as well as to change their attitudes regarding their role in science education reform. They propose mentors' workshops to promote effective partnerships and the development of positive attitudes towards participation in these programs. By providing linkage among professional scientists and secondary school teachers, they expect to foster a continuing relationship that will not only stimulate science education, but will also promote the public understanding of science and the role of basic research in improving health. The hypothesis that they will evaluate is that this research experience will engender for the teacher/fellows a renewed enthusiasm for science, which will be translated (via the vehicle of their new curriculum exercises) in terms of integrated teaching of Immunology, as well as increased student enrollment in science courses, and the pursuit of scientific careers.