BEST Science! - Bioscience Enrichment for Students and Teachers

描述(由申请者提供)：大新奥尔良地区是一场史无前例的教育改革实验的背景。这一努力的特点是，具有改革思想的行政人员和教师大量涌入，热衷于采用公立特许学校的概念，加强问责和家长选择，以及加强社区参与。这种环境为测试课程开发和教学中的新想法提供了一个独特而有吸引力的机会。美国国立卫生研究院根据NIH赞助的研究中的科学发现，开发了一系列教育模块。这些单元旨在补充州和地方各级现有的小学和中学生命科学课程，并与国家科学教育标准保持一致。这些补充品由教师、科学家和课程专家开发，并由教师在全国范围内进行实地测试，“促进积极和协作的学习，以探究为基础，帮助学生发展解决问题的策略和批判性思维。”国立卫生研究院的单元不包括动手实验室练习，也没有规定培训教师分子和细胞生物学以及分子遗传学的基本概念和技术。 这项申请提出了一个全面的计划-最佳科学！-为学生和教师提供生物科学丰富。最佳科学！是Ochsner诊所基金会、路易斯安那州立大学健康科学中心和几个当地学区之间的合作伙伴关系。这一合作伙伴关系的长期目标是促进新奥尔良地区高中生，特别是代表不足的少数族裔对生物医学研究和健康科学的兴趣和理解。最终目标是促进这些领域的继续教育和职业发展。为达致这项目标而建议的一般机制，是为生物教师举办暑期专业发展工作坊，然后为他们提供所需的资源，让他们在学年内把课程安排在课室内。研讨会课程的核心将是精选NIH模块，并利用DNA转化、聚合酶链式反应扩增和凝胶电泳等技术补充补充实验室练习。实验室单位将使用现有的模块创建，这些模块由国家环保总局资助的项目开发，如城市实验室和区域生物技术，作为模板。来自Ochsner和LSUHSC的研究科学家和研究生将参加研讨会。学年的支持将包括提供试剂盒、设备贷款和由项目教师、研究生和对课程有经验的带头教师提供指导。参与计划的教师必须在一年内致力于该计划的所有方面，他们将可以选择在自己的课堂上进行实验室练习，或者在奥克斯纳校区专门的学生实验室进行实验练习。通过提供必要的培训和资源，最好的科学！将有助于将NIH模块纳入当地课程，并实现NIH计划的初衷。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Greater New Orleans area is the setting for an unprecedented experiment in education reform. This effort is characterized by an influx of reform-minded administrators and teachers, enthusiastic adoption of the public charter school concept, increased accountability and parental options, and intensification of community involvement. This environment provides a unique and attractive opportunity for testing new ideas in curriculum development and delivery. The National Institutes of Health has developed a series of educational modules based on scientific discoveries from NIH-sponsored research. These units are designed to supplement existing elementary and secondary life science curricula at both the state and local levels and are consistent with National Science Education Standards. The supplements developed by teachers, scientists and curriculum experts, and field-tested nationally by teachers, "promote active and collaborative learning and are inquiry- based to help students develop problem-solving strategies and critical thinking." The NIH modules do not include hands-on laboratory exercises and no provisions are made for training teachers in the underlying concepts and technologies of molecular and cellular biology and molecular genetics. This application proposes a comprehensive program - BEST Science! - to provide Bioscience Enrichment for Students and Teachers. BEST Science! is a partnership between Ochsner Clinic Foundation, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and several local school districts The long-term objective of this partnership is to advance an interest in, and understanding of, biomedical research and health sciences by New Orleans area high school students, particularly underrepresented minorities. The ultimate goal is to stimulate further education and vocation in these areas. The general mechanism proposed to achieve this goal is to produce and implement summer professional development workshops for biology teachers and then provide the necessary resources for them to deploy the curriculum in their classrooms during the academic year. The core of the workshop curriculum will be select NIH modules supplemented with complementary laboratory exercises utilizing technologies such as DNA transformation, PCR amplification and gel electrophoresis. The laboratory units will be created using existing modules, developed by SEPA-funded programs such as CityLab and Regional Biotech, as templates. Research scientists and graduate students from Ochsner and LSUHSC will participate in the workshops. Academic year support will include provision of reagent kits, equipment loans and mentoring by program faculty, graduate students, and Lead Teachers who have experience with the curriculum. Participating teachers, who must commit for one year to all aspects of the program, will have the option of carrying out the laboratory exercises in their classroom or in a dedicated student laboratory on the Ochsner campus. By providing the necessary training and resources, BEST Science! will help incorporate the NIH modules into the local curricula and fulfill the original intent of the NIH program.