NIH Radio
NIH Releases Three New Curriculum Supplements
Brief Description:
Middle school teachers across the country will now have access to three new curriculum supplements designed to promote inquiry-based, interdisciplinary learning and therefore stimulate students' interest in science.
Transcript:
Schmalfeldt: Middle school teachers across the country will now have access to three new curriculum supplements designed to promote inquiry-based, interdisciplinary learning and therefore stimulate students' interest in science. The National Institutes of Health provides these supplements free-of-charge to teachers, allowing them to update their lesson plans with all-in-one teaching materials that incorporate topical issues and current scientific research, according to Dr. David Vannier, a health science policy analyst at the Office of Science Education at the NIH
Vannier: What we're doing is bringing some of the latest research that NIH conducts and funds into the K-12 classroom in a meaningful way. What we try to do is to bring that into the classroom in the form of hands-on lessons specifically targeted at either middle school or at high school. The three new ones that are coming out are all targeted at middle school.
Schmalfeldt: The three new modules are: "Doing Science: The Process of Scientific Inquiry", in which students explore the basics of scientific inquiry, refine their critical-thinking skills, and learn to appreciate the purpose of scientific research; "Looking Good: From the Inside Out (Exploring Bone, Muscle and Skin)", wherein students will learn about the structures of the musculoskeletal and skin systems, the interactions between these body systems, and the factors that influence their functions; and "The Science of Mental Illness," in which students will gain insight into the biological basis of mental illness and how scientific evidence and research can help us understand its causes and lead to treatments, and — ultimately — cures. NIH produced these modules in partnership with curriculum developers from Biological Sciences Curriculum Study of Colorado Springs, Colorado. For more info, visit the NIH Office of Science Education website at http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements. From the National Institutes of Health, I'm Bill Schmalfeldt in Bethesda, Maryland.
About This Audio Report
Date: 6/02/2006
Reporter: Bill Schmalfeldt
Sound Bite: Dr. David Vannier
Topic: Education
Institute(s): OSE
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