Teaching Biology Through Immunology Fellowships

描述（由申请人提供）：本计划的目标是在专业科学家、中学教师和课程专家之间建立持久的伙伴关系，以开发和传播基于现代前沿免疫学实验室研究的新课程材料，以加强美国的科学教育和学生对科学课程的参与。具体来说，该项目将为中学教师提供暑期奖学金，让他们在美国各个中心的免疫学研究实验室工作。这项研究经验将直接与课程发展挂钩，因此每位教师将为中学生开发一个新的实验练习。预期这种经验将提高教师的教学技能和科学知识，以便将生物科学（特别是免疫学）的最新基本概念更好地纳入目前的课程。由于没有足够的创新练习来说明现代免疫学的基本原理和概念，教师将需要根据他们的实验室经验制定课程计划，并在课程专家的帮助下制定。该计划还将包括对导师的教育，使他们对实验室教师有合理的期望，以及提高导师科学家对他们在科学教育改革中的作用的态度。促进科学家和教师之间有效伙伴关系的导师讲习班将成为AAI/教师年度研讨会的一个组成部分，此外还有教师和课程开发人员的讲习班和演讲。通过在专业科学家、中学教师和课程制定专家之间建立联系，我们将培育一种持续的关系，这种关系不仅将促进科学教育，而且将促进公众对科学的了解以及基础研究在改善健康方面的作用。我们将评估的假设是，这一研究经历将使教师重新燃起对科学的热情，这将（通过他们的新课程实验练习的载体）转化为免疫学的综合教学，以及提高学生对科学课程的兴趣，并追求科学事业。因此，我们还将调查之前参与该计划的每个教师和学区，以确定该计划对科学教育和学生职业选择的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this program is to establish a lasting partnership among professional scientists, secondary school teachers, and curriculum specialists to develop and disseminate new curricula materials based on modern, cutting edge laboratory research in Immunology, in order to enhance science education and student participation in science courses in the United States. Specifically, this program will provide summer fellowships for secondary school teachers to work in Immunology research laboratories at various centers across the United States. This research experience will be directly linked to curriculum development so that each teacher will develop a new laboratory exercise for secondary school students. It is expected that this experience will enhance the teacher's instructional skills and scientific knowledge so that up-to-date fundamental concepts in biological sciences (especially Immunology) can be better integrated into current curricula. Since sufficient innovative exercises illustrating the fundamental principles and concepts in modern Immunology are not generally available, the teachers will be required to develop lesson plans based on their lab experience, and formulate them with the aid of curricular specialists. This program will also include the education of the mentors as to reasonable expectations for the teachers in their labs, as well as to enhance mentor scientists' attitudes regarding their role in science education reform. Mentor workshops to promote effective partnerships between the scientist and teacher will be an integral part of the AAI/teacher annual symposium in addition to workshops and presentations by the teachers and curriculum developers. By providing linkages among professional scientists, secondary school teachers and experts in curriculum development, we will 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 we will evaluate is that this research experience will engender for the teachers a renewed enthusiasm for science, which will be translated (via the vehicle of their new curricular laboratory exercises) in terms of integrated teaching of Immunology, as well as increased student interest in science courses, and the pursuit of scientific careers. Thus, we will also survey each teacher and school district previously in the program in order to determine the effect of the program on science education and student career choices.