Science education in the secondary school system of the nation is undergoing significant review and evaluation. Of concern are questions which center around the """"""""type"""""""" of science currently being taught, the relevance of this science to society and the small numbers of students who select science as a career. The long term objective of this proposal is to enhance the quality of biomedical science education in middle schools and high schools in the State of Nevada.
The specific aim of this project is to train three middle school and/or high school teachers from northern Nevada in areas of biomedical science. Subject material should be important to and appropriate for inclusion into the secondary school curriculum. Components of the teacher training will include, (i) substantial hands on laboratory experiences working with established biomedical science researchers, (ii) seminars and other short course training in subjects important to the laboratory sciences, the interpretation of scientific data and societal issues related to science, (iii) curriculum development of biomedical science teaching modules, and (iv) expanded teacher training of other teachers in the State using the three participants as teacher-trainers. Research experiences will be mentored by outstanding research faculty selected from a variety of biomedical sciences. Cognitive learning will result from teacher participation in specifically developed seminars and workshops. Curriculum development will be derived from the experiences of the three teacher-participants facilitated by their mentors, curriculum evaluation specialists from the College of Education, and the Science Coordinator, Washoe County School District. Dissemination of curriculum and other-teacher training will take place using three organizations, already designed for this purpose, the Math and Science Alliance, the Nevada Science Project and the Annual State Science Teacher's Convention. The latter two organizations are particularly effective at reaching the underserved rural school teachers. The quality and influence of the experiences of the teachers and of the curriculum developed as a result of the project will be evaluated by third party reviewers. It is anticipated that not only the three participants, but also many other urban and rural teachers and their students will be positively impacted by the curriculum developed by this project.
