As part of the Systems Education Experiences program in the Baliga Lab, and thanks to generous funding from the Center for Systems Biology, ISB was able to host thirteen high school biology teachers for a week-long workshop on Systems Biology.
During the 5 days, for twenty nine total hours, teachers worked with leaders in education, science, and research to learn about four different curriculum modules that were designed under the Systems Education Experiences program at ISB. Each module features comprehensive, laboratory-intensive material created for high school teachers to integrate into their classrooms. This workshop at the Institute for Systems Biology was designed to educate and provide teachers with tools to advance in systems thinking and apply this to their own curriculum. This program lasted five days starting Monday July 29th, 2013 at 9:00 am and concluding on Friday August 2, 2013 at 3:00 pm.
When entering the program, we asked the teachers what they hope to gain from attending this workshop at ISB. They all responded in a similar fashion by stating that they wanted to learn about each module offered in great depth and how to incorporate them in their prospective classes. However, most described at the end of the workshop they learned more than they expected, as the majority of the teachers said they are prepared to incorporate what they have learned into their own curriculum. Some teachers responded that they have now the resources and capacity to teach the different modules in their classrooms.
Prior to attending this summer’s workshop at ISB, most educators didn’t understand or have prior exposure to Systems Biology. However, this workshop challenged them to think systematically and required them to see the whole picture rather than getting caught up in the details.
Through the feedback we got from surveys, most attendees stated that this program at ISB was very helpful and exciting. Building new connections, learning innovative approaches and gaining new curricula were some parts of the program most teachers appreciated.