Didactic Guide for Teachers

This activity is directed to secondary school 15-18 years old students. As you can see, the site is directed to students, so you can propose them directly the web adress to undertake the activity. This is one of the reasons why correct answers are not provided (further explanation in IBSE). This activity is part of the educational C3 Project (Creation of Scientific knowledge) and the Syllabus ABP/IBSE Itinerary ProyectandoBioGeo.

An article about the development and application of the activity has been published and is available in Spanish at:

Gene Hunting: una secuencia contextualizada de indagación alrededor de la expresión génica, la investigación in silico y la ética en la comunicación biomédica. Revista Eureka de Enseñanza y Divulgación de las Ciencias (2016) 13(2), 342-358. J. Domènech-Casal.

Comments and suggestions are welcome. If you add or modify steps from this didactic sequence, please, let me know, your work can be useful for other teachers and students. If you want, I could eventually add your activities as a contribution in this website, toghether with your name and contact details.

Description

Gene expression and regulation are key concepts in genetics, but often students keep only the mendelian heredity models and, at the molecular level, mutation events. Epigenetic factors have been demonstrated to play a crucial role in determining genetic effects on several illnesses, including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases...

The actitity proposes to the students to discover the importance of gene regulation using thre context of an in silico research for candidate genes. Other secondary concepts, as homologous genes, DNA-to-protein translation and transgenesis procedures or science communication, are also developed during the activity. Students work by teams interpreting data in different formats to construct a model about the effects of the expression of several genes on neurodegenerative processes. The lack of complete information and the need to collaborate are part of classroom dynamics focused to the understanding of the process of creation of the scientific knowledge.

This activity is part of the C3 Project on Creation of Scientific Knowledge that is being applied in the school.

Didactic Goals

The didactic sequence dealing with gene regulation, in silico research and science communication, this activity pretends students to:

• Understanding scientific knowledge as a social process in permanent and democratic construction.
• Communicating scientific data in scientific formats.
• Analyzing and creating data in different format and take decisions to construct a scientific model.
• Understanding the effects of gene expression regulation and its use as scientific evidences.
• Designing experiments to test hypothesis.

Indications to apply the activity

This activity is to be performed as WPP (Workshop, Project, Portfolio) sequence.

During the Project sessions, don't explain anything to your students. They will be able to learn it alone. Just let them work, and observe their discussions. You'll have the opportunity to collect the explanations after and from their work. Let them talk between them, even between the different teams. Science is a social process. Scientists don't call it copying or cheating. They call it constructing knowledge, and it usually happens in congresses and seminars. Ask your students to think. Explain them you expect their best.

During the Portfolio sessions, make them work individually. It would be good to make at least 4, 10-minute-length, sessions o Portfolio. Ask your students to make a real reflection about what are they learning, how are they learning it, and which are the outcomes of the activity.

During the Workshop sessions, explain them the theoretical and historic aspects listed in the Key ideas to take into account section at each step. Just 15 minutes per session, and don't make explicit the relationship of these theoretical aspects with the project. It's up to the students to make the relationship. This is important, as it makes them practice their ability to transfer models to new situations. It might be that they ask you to make new Workshops on some aspects. Do it, or encourage them to do a Workshop for their mates, but avoid it to touch concret aspects of the project.

Be sure students are familiar with the concepts and habilities specified at Key ideas to take into account section before beginning a Step.

Calendar and Class Organization

The whole activity takes about 12 sessions (x1 hour each).

Portfolio and Workshop sessions should be inserted in this calendar following the needs and possibilities of the project. You should consider 2 additional hours for portfolio ( 4 x 10 min sessions) and Workshop sessions (5 x 15 min sessions).

Examples of students' productions

Examples of students' productions are available, only for teachers. If you want to have access to it, contact me from your institutional mail adress to get access permission.

• Artículo SNF4 (in spanish)

Attention to diversity

• The didactic sequence don't need to be completed. You can stop after step 3, step 6, step 7 or step 8, or make combinations of these.
  • A spanish-version of the site is under construction and will be soon available.

About IBSE (Inquiry-Based Science Education)

Some of the principles of IBSE used to build this site and didactic activity:

• Scientists generate scientific theories based on evidence, but they do not find definitive answers. Real science has not a book of "correct answers" were you can contrast if your conclusions are correct. "Correct processes" and "Best explanations" is the most you can get in real science. It's why this activity doesn't offer a "correct answer". Of course, the activity has been developped from a concrete evolution, but I'll not share it. It's the best thing I can do for your scientific spirit.
• Scientific knowledge and ideas change over time and are open to further revision as our understanding of the world around us evolves. Education doesn't mean to transmit a false feeling of certainty. Education means to teach how to deal with uncertainty, to take decisions and assume risks. Don't confirm them if they have the correct answer or not. In case of misunderstandings, just ask them if their process is correct and their results coherent. Answer with questions to their questions, or help them to make better questions. "Correct solutions" or "Wise teachers" won't be present in their life for ever. Teach them how to arrange without it.
• Science is a social and creative activity. Constructing and testing hypothesis, interpreting data from different formats and adjusting an abstract model as a consequence, identifying patterns and stablishing relationships, discussing results and justifying conclusions, are key competences that science learning must include as a priority, not only to make them best scientists, but to make them critical citizens.

Hints and Ideas for further development

• Some students proposed that some genes could be regulated by other genes. Even if it could make someway complicated the activity, it is possible to adjust the microarrays to get something similar.

CLIL/Aicle

This site has been built from a didactic activity performed with spanish students, and in some steps, liguistic clues are given. I'm yet working on this aspect.