Thursday, 12 August 2010
To celebrate National Science Week 2010 (14 - 22 August), the
Australian Stem Cell Centre (ASCC) is launching a series of education
initiatives to introduce stem cell science into the classroom.
For the first time teachers will be able to access a free
Stem Cell
Teachers’ Kit, which along with the newly updated interactive Stem Cell
Channel (
www.stemcellchannel.com.au),
will provide teachers with the tools to teach the science and ethics of
stem cells. To kick start the initiative, stem cell scientists are
going Back to Schools this week across Victoria to give talks and
inspire young people in this exciting area of science.
The Stem Cell Teachers’ Kit is designed to assist teachers in the
integration of stem cell science into the secondary school curriculum.
Mainly aimed at Years 10-12, the kit will help teachers across Australia
in the key learning areas of Science, Biology, English, Religious
Education and Philosophy. Key questions are addressed, such as What are
stem cells? What are the different types of stem cells? and What are the
ethical issues? in an interactive format that caters for different
abilities and age groups.
The Teachers Kit was developed in response to significant interest from
the teaching community. Based on experience exhibiting at the Conference
of the National Science Teachers and enquiries received through the
ASCC website, it became clear that teachers wanted lesson plans and
activities that would fit into the national curriculum. The development
of the Teachers Kit was supported by the Department of Innovation,
Industry, Science and Research National Enabling Technologies Strategy.
The Stem Cell Channel, a web resource of short videos, recently updated
with new footage, is an invaluable partner to the Teachers’ Kit.
Students and teachers can now visit the Channel and watch videos such
as: What are iPS cells, Creation of human embryonic stem cells, and When
does human life begin? All videos feature leading Australian stem cell
scientists along with ethicists, religious leaders and politicians.
Professor Joe Sambrook, ASCC Scientific Director, believes “Providing
educational materials about the stem cell field is crucially important.
We want to give students and teachers access to accurate information in
an easy to digest format so that they can learn about this exciting
technology from experts and scientists in the field.”
As a final complement to these education initiatives, once again this
year the ASCC is sending some of Australia’s leading stem cell
scientists Back to Schools, following its successful launch in 2009.
Back to Schools is a unique initiative being the only education service
covering stem cell research in a personal, face to face setting with
students. The scientists will give an interactive talk on stem cell
research designed to debunk myths, discuss career choices and answer
questions. Last year the Centre’s speakers reached over 1,600 students
and this year again are looking to visit over 22 schools across the
State.
Last year’s Back to Schools program was received well by students and
teachers, “Interesting, relevant, well presented and gave a good insight
into stem cell research and its uses.” commented Anina Alexander, a
science teacher from Sunbury Downs College.
Download the full media release, or read more about the
Stem Cell Teachers' Kit.