Tab Number

Time

Activity

8:00-8:30 am

Breakfast

1

8:30-8:45 am

Introduction of Project GENA: 

Background, Staff, Objectives & Agenda of Workshop (KS)

2

8:45-9:15 am

Introduction of Project Participants: (KS and KVH)

Icebreaker/Get-acquainted activity.

3

9.15-9.45 am

Genetics in America’s  Schools:  (KS and KVH)

Worksheet

State and National Standards in Genetics

During this session, participants will review their local standards using the internet and materials they have been provided to identify the components of their standards that refer to the topic of this year’s program:  Patterns of Inheritance (PoI).  Participants will share their impressions of the standards from their states that apply to PoI.

9:45-10:00 am

Break

4

10:00-10:30 am

Concept Mapping & Science Standards: (KS and KVH)

Worksheet

Participants review Concept Mapping and how to engage in developing higher order structure in their curricula.

This part of the workshop will focus on the role concept mapping can play in designing curricula.  Concept mapping is a technique that assists in visualizing the relationship between different topics.  Instead of a purely vertical hierarchy of topics in a course curriculum that describes how topics are taught sequentially, for example, concept mapping can add significance to subject matter by assisting students in learning how different subject matters relate to each other.

5

10:30-12.00 pm

Changing Learners’ Ideas: Misconceptions as Barriers to Learning: (DM and HM)

Looking into a Private Universe (Hands on & video)

Through hands-on experiences and video, participants will engage in experiences that may challenge their preconceived notions. They’ll see how difficult it can be to change existing beliefs even when confronted with evidence to the contrary.

12:00-12:45 pm

Lunch

6

12:45-1:45 pm

Identifying Gaps in Student Knowledge and Understanding:  (KS and KVH)

Example Student Essays

Worksheet

1.  Identify misunderstanding and misconceptions in genetics understanding using student essays

2.  Identify those that are within the scope of this workshop

Over the past two years the ASHG has collected almost 2,500 samples of student writing regarding genetics through the National DNA Day Essay Contest.    Together with several studies on specific misconceptions in genetics, these writings provide us with a large sampling of the difficulties teachers and students face regarding communicating and understanding the details of inheritance, and other aspects of genetics.  During this session participants will review examples of essays submitted for the contest and attempt to identify misconceptions.  Participants will share what they have found and brainstorm ideas regarding where the misconceptions may have originated, review the science standards that relate to those concepts, and brainstorm possible ways of capturing enduring understanding in their students.

7

1:45-2:15 pm

How People Learn- Implications for Science Teaching and Learning:  (DM and HM)

This session will provide current research on how people learn and the elements of pedagogy that most appropriately integrates this research.

2:15-2:45 pm

Break

8

2:45-3:15 pm

The Nature of Inquiry-Based Science Education (TH)

Session Summary:

During this session, participants will begin to think about the connection between the high school classroom and the nature of scientific inquiry.  Research suggests that student-centered, inquiry-based curricula are more effective in developing true understanding for students than traditional lecture-based classes.  However, inquiry and activity are not the same and we will explore the different types of inquiry and how to make it effective in different formats in the high school classroom.

3:15-4:45 pm

Designing Inquiry for the High School Biology Classroom: (TH)

Examples, structure and constraints (Electrophoresis experiment)

Session Summary:

In this interactive session, participants will divide into groups of 4 in order to perform an activity commonly used in classrooms equipped with materials to perform biotechnology experiments (eg. gel electrophoresis, PCR).  Participants will perform the experiment as directed by the protocols provided by the company and will discuss how this activity conforms (or not) to the ideas presented earlier regarding learning cycles and the inquiry continuum.  Participants will brainstorm ways of improving the activity that would provide a deeper level of understanding and inquiry for their students.

4:45-5:00 pm

Complete daily evaluation. Tab 15

5:00 pm

Groups are encouraged to eat dinner together, brainstorm, and continue thinking over dinner

Tab Number

Time

Activity

8:00 – 8:30 am

Breakfast

9

8:30 – 10:30 am

Designing A Learning Plan:   (DM and HM)

Using Conceptual sequences and learning cycles to develop an enduring understanding

Session Summary

During this session, participants will divide into groups to complete one of six different lessons.  These lessons are part of a larger curriculum module and participants will discuss how bridging different activities that build sequentially on each other can lead to more complete and deep understanding.  Participants will also examine the challenges of using curriculum “as is” and make suggestions for improving the model resource.

10:30 – 10:45 am

Break

10

10:45 – 12:30 pm

Assessing students’ content knowledge and reasoning through written scientific explanations:

Joseph Krajcik, University of Michigan

Katherine L. McNeill, Boston College

Papers and Manuscripts from Krajcik and McNeill

Inquiry and scientific explanations: Helping students use evidence and reasoning

Session Summary

Current science education standards call for students to construct explanations of phenomena where they justify their claims with appropriate evidence and reasoning. Yet helping students write explanation and assessing the quality of these products is challenging. In this session, participants will experience how to construct assessment tasks that align with national standards and that evaluate students’ strengths and weaknesses in writing scientific explanations. We will provide an instructional model of scientific explanation, including a general rubric, which can be used across different content areas and tasks.  Participants will use examples of student work to gain experience in applying and adapting the rubrics.  Finally, we will present a model for developing assessment items and provide participants an opportunity to design assessment items targeting genetics learning goals.

12:30 –1:15 pm

Lunch

11

1:15 – 1:45 pm

Learning Plan Framework: (DM and HM)

Introduce criteria for learning plan

Template for Alliance Work

Participants will be introduced to criteria from which to frame their learning plan.

12

1:45 – 2:15 pm

Identifying Exemplary Curriculum Materials: (KS and KVH)

Review of the work of the Curriculum Content Review Committee (CCRC)

CCRC Evaluation Form Template

The CCRC is a group of 8 individuals with various expertise in K-16 education.  They identified more than 100 different resources currently available for high school educators that teach different topics that fall under the umbrella of “Patterns of Inheritance.”  Each of these resources was reviewed by two independent reviewers and the resources and reviews are available for use by alliances at this workshop.  This session will review the rubric used to review the resources and how participants can find/utilize these resources as models for their own learning plan.

13

2:15 – 3:00 pm

Small Group Work:

·         Selection of concepts and learning materials for their learning plan.

·         Develop a learning plan corresponding to a specific misconception or enduring understanding

Over the next day and a half, alliances will begin to brainstorm and develop specific plans for their own intervention and learning plan.  Before the end of the workshop, each alliance will be expected to present information on the misconception they will address, the standards involved, potential exemplary resources they will use as models, their plan for assessment and evaluation.  Significant “in-workshop” time will be devoted to the development of these plans.  However, groups are also encouraged to work during dinner and after the workshop if possible.  Most plans will not be finalized during the course of the workshop.  Instead, alliances will be expected to communicate and continue to develop their detailed plan up until the actual implementation date.

3:00 – 3:15 pm

Break

3:15 – 4:10 pm

Continue Small Group Work

Continue development of learning plan

4:10 – 4:25 pm

Complete daily evaluation. Tab 15

4:30 pm

Return to Hotel; dinner on your own

Tab Number

Time

Activity

8:00 – 8:30 am

Breakfast

8:30 – 9:30 am

Designing A Learning Plan:

Finalize group planning and presentation

9:30 – 9:45 am

Break

9:45 – 11:15 am

Presentations of Proposed Learning Plans by all participants:

Each alliance (geneticist-educator pair) will present their plans to the entire group.  In these short presentations (approximately 5-7 minutes each), participants will present the misconception and standards in PoI that they will address in their intervention, the exemplary curriculum resource they are using as a model (if any), the ideas for assessment and their initial ideas for their learning plan.  Other groups will be able to ask questions as time allows.

11:15 – 12:00 pm

Individual Alliance Conferences and Follow-up: 

Determining expectations of the alliance; limitations and the collection of evidence for follow-up workshop

Each alliance will meet with one of the four PIs of the grant to establish a plan for follow-up.  Groups will be provided with a template for establishing a joint plan and expectations for communication.  A timeline, estimated date of implementation and other details will be discussed.  Expectations worksheets will be signed by both participants and returned to project staff by 9/5/2007.

12:00 – 12:45 pm

Lunch

14

12:45  - 1:45 pm

Publishing in Educational Journals:

Dennis Liu, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Editor: Cell Biology Education

Examples/List of Journals that Publish Educational Research 

One goal of the work performed by alliances is to perform a critical evaluation of the work and the lesson plan.  Rigorous studies in science education have many outlets for publication.  Dissemination of tested and evaluated learning plans are valuable data for the entire science education community.  Alliances that are able to implement and assess their work will be encouraged to write their work up for publication in one of the many science education journals in the field.  This session will provide participants with information regarding this specialized field of publication.

1:45 – 2:15 pm

Wrap-up and Departure

Complete your final workshop evaluation. Tab 15

Participants return to their institutions.  Over the next year they will continue to develop content knowledge, examine pedagogical skills and implement their proposed intervention.