Course Context I teach a microbiology course for non-majors titled "Shall the Microbes Inherit the Earth?" that aims to help students become 'conversational' biologists. Science courses have typically utilized on a single paradigm - the weekly laboratory - to enhance the science experience. I am interested in the value of a different model using an elementary school teaching experience to deepen my students' comfort with and knowledge of science. My course enrolls 50 students in parallel sections with either laboratory or teaching requirements.

Experiential Learning Activities Students choose between a lab and community learning class section. Students in the lab work in pairs on open-ended investigations that provide them with the opportunity to explore the world of microbes in very visual ways. Lab work reinforces the potential and perils of scientific research. Students opting for the comunity learning component rather than a lab are given the opportunity to teach fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students at Bruce-Monroe Elementary School in Washington, D.C. In the community learning section, we meet weekly to develop lesson plans in teams, try out new labs and activities, and discuss the classroom experience (both in anticipation and reflection). My students work in pairs to partner with an individual teacher and class in the school to integrate science into the rest of the curriculum. Georgetown students work on both a private journal of their experiences and a public lesson plan development folder on our class Blackboard site. At the end of the semester they turn in final lesson plans and a reflective paper that examines the value of the teaching experience to their knowledge of microbiology.

Teaching at Bruce-Monroe Elementary School

Project Focus I am interested in whether teaching a subject can instill confidence, enthusiasm and understanding of its basic principles in a meaningful way. I am further interested in how this engagement with the material differs from the typical laboratory experience since this question will surely be central to my science colleagues.

Field Trip to The Institute for Genomic Research I use a variety of guest speakers and non-traditional comparative readings, such as Albert Camus' The Plague and the Center for Disease Control website, in order to allow non-science students to participate in scientific discussion. The reading list also includes journal articles and popular science books. As is evident from the picture we also take a class field trip to TIGR - a world leader in microbial genomics.

Future Scientists at Bruce-Monroe Elementary

Goals for Student Learning To gain an understanding of science and the scientific process. To learn a few fundamental biology concepts as a foundation. To learn where to find reliable scientific information. To become aware of connections between science and politics, history, economics, literature, and religion.

Evidence of Student Learning I Written Comments on a Scientific News Article: I have used pre- and post-surveys previously in the course. They have been very useful in giving me a feel for where the course is and is not succeeding in meeting its goals; they have also given me a sense of how my students comfort with science shifts over the duration of the term. What they have not provided are insights into how my students ability to grapple with the material has changed, and this question is obviously central to my course goals. I will begin to evaluate how the work of this course impacts my students ability to question and evaluate a scientific news article.

Evidence of Student Learning II Students will read similar articles from a new source on a given microbiology topic on both the first and last day of class. The articles will deal with a topic that we have not talked about directly in class to better examine their ability to apply the ideas they take from the class. They will then be asked to comment in writing about the article on: (1) what they can understand about the science, (2) what they see as questions emanating from the report, and (3) what they see as sources of further information. A randomly selected group of students will respond on videotape to permit a deeper understanding of their thought processes in this work. These assessments will not be graded. Research Papers: My students work in teams to collect, evaluate and critique scientific evidence in support of a thesis for two research papers. Despite explicit instructions and modeling of the process in class, some students are unable to reach a stage of critical evaluation of material in this work. In particular, some groups succeed at using the diverse talents of the group while others struggle with discord. I am interested in understanding what factors contribute to positive group dynamics and will be examining this question through weekly self-reporting by groups. These interactions also provide the perfect lens through which to observe the ability of laboratory and community learning students as they address complex microbiological problems. I will be pairing students from the lab and teaching sections and will follow the interactions of three groups using audio recordings of group interaction. Reflective Journals: My students will keep journals that provide them with the opportunity to reflect on their own progress and changes in perspective during the term. Since a major focus of my course is to gain comfort in the field of scientific inquiry, this process encourages them to consider their own attitudes more deeply and provides me with a wonderful window into their development. Im still struggling with how to incorporate this effectively into the course without creating an undue burden.