Immersion in Biotechnology

Further Information:
Immersion into Inquiry in Science

Immersion in Biotechnology

Setting

This example is a four-day workshop in which high school teachers from different school districts around the country are immersed in learning about DNA and biotechnology. Facilitator Jim Short and scientist Mark Bloom from the Biological Sciences and Curriculum Study (BSCS) in Colorado Springs, CO engage teachers in learning methods that teachers are expected to practice with their students.

Professional Development Strategy
Immersion in Content for Science

Secondary teachers engage in laboratory activities to deepen knowledge of biotechnology.

Goals of this Example of Professional Development

Introduce teachers to a standards-based approach to teaching

Teach teachers new content and techniques used in biotechnology

Introduce teachers to new instructional materials including computer-based and hands-on simulations

What You Can Gain from Using this Video

Understand the strategy of immersion in content for science as a means to introduce teachers to new teaching methods, content, content, and technology tools

See the role scientists can play in developing content knowledge in teachers

Gain insights into what facilitators do to create an effective environment for learning challenging science content

Immersion into inquiry in science is the structured opportunity to experience, first-hand, science content and processes. First, by becoming a learner, teachers deepen their own understanding of the science content that they are teaching their students. Second, by experiencing the processes for themselves, teachers are better prepared to help students become active, engaged inquirers.

Using this strategy is based on the assumption that teachers benefit from experiences grounded on the same principles that they are expected to implement with students. However, it is important to note that teachers must become learners by being challenged at their own level of competence. By engaging in activities appropriate for adult learners, rather than doing student activities, teachers are able to investigate science content for their own learning.

Immersion is an intensive learning experience that requires time for teachers to focus on learning science in depth. They need to participate fully in the generation of compelling questions and to conduct investigations that allow them to make meaning out of inquiry activities. They also need to collect and organize data, and to develop and defend explanations based on the evidence they collect. In short, they need to gain a deeper and broader view of the scientific concepts they are investigating. The goal of these experiences is to engage teachers in first-hand learning of what they are expected to practice in their classrooms--guiding students through inquiry-based science activities.
One of the most important elements in making this strategy work is the involvement of qualified instructors who have used this technique successfully with students. A second crucial component is a commitment to long-term experiences. Immersion experiences cannot be conducted in one-time-only workshops.

One outcome from in-depth immersion in the inquiry process is a change in teachers' conceptions of the nature of science learning and teaching. As teachers begin to see science teaching as less a matter of knowledge transfer and more an activity in which knowledge is generated and science content is investigated in depth, they see their own role as teacher changing. No longer do they view themselves as a direct conveyor of knowledge; instead, they strive to become a guide helping students develop their own meaning from experience.