Development of a new print curriculum module to convey the nature of science is underway at the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, in Colorado Springs. In addition, the module will update the content of existing high school biology curricula. This project, tentatively titled Nontraditional Inheritance: Genetics and the Nature of Science, is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications component of the Human Genome Project.
The module is intended for free distribution to interested high school biology teachers to help them provide their students with rich experiences in the process of scientific explanation. Recent discoveries in genetics are once again reshaping our understanding of inheritance, and students will work through a few of these examples to experience first hand the way in which evidence guides the re-evaluation and expansion of existing scientific explanations. Among the exciting topics presented in the module is the role of trinucleotide repeats in genetic anticipation, a phenomenon in which a disorder occurs with increasing severity in subsequent generations. Genetic anticipation is seen with Huntington disease, fragile X syndrome, and myotonic dystrophy. Students also will examine data on genomic imprinting, and an historical treatment of the discovery of transposable elements will help students appreciate both the plasticity of genetic information and the dynamic nature of scientific explanations.
The 20-month development project began in spring 1995 with a meeting of an advisory committee composed of experts in genetics, philosophy of science, bioethics, teaching, and curriculum development. The committee constructed a conceptual framework and outline for the module; their recommendations are summarized in a report that can be obtained at ftp://infosrv1.ctd.ornl.gov/pub/hgmis in WordPerfect 5.1 (BSCS-summary.wp5) or Postscript (BSCS-summary.ps) format.
This report will guide the efforts of a summer writing conference to draft materials for field testing early in 1996. If you are interested in applying for field-test participation, or have comments, contact Ellen Friedman at BSCS: phone (719) 521-5550; FAX (719) 531-9104; E-mail: efriedman@cc.colorado.edu.