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Project Related:

Educational Resources

• Teacher Workshops

  Grade: 6-12
  Resource: Teacher Summer Science Institute

• Films, Videos, & Multimedia

  Grade: 6-12
  Resource: curriculum with videos and CD on genetics, diabetes/cardiovascular, nutrition/physical activity, nervous system

• Curricula/Literature

  Grade: 6-12
  Resource: Teaching modules aimed at sixth, seventh and eighth grade students as well as high school students aligned with TEKS and National Science Standards

Health Education and Discovering Science while Unlocking Potential (Phase II)

URL: http://www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/headsup/

Audience

5th to 8th grade and high school students; middle and high school science and health teachers; parents

Subjects Addressed

Basic genetics, advanced genetics, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, nutrition, physical activity, the nervous system, the immune system, infectious diseases

Project Description

Goals - A. Increase student self-efficacy for science, academic aspirations, interest in health science careers; and improve performance and competence in science, B. Increase teacher confidence in teaching topics related to health science and biomedical research, C. Increase family/parent academic aspirations for their children and enhance family/parent knowledge about health science topics. Components - 1. DVD/Teacher CD curriculum: videos with cutting-edge content presented by health science experts, student actors, graphics/animation; classroom activities; glossaries, assessment tools, 2. Teacher Professional Development: Teacher Summer Science Institute, trainings/workshops, consulting opportunities to help develop/update materials, 3. Parent Outreach: participation in community events with free screenings and health education, 4. Museum Visits: field trips for students to The Health Museum that tie-in with project topics, 5. Elementary Science Corners: program that introduces science/technology laboratories to elementary classrooms; fifth grade teachers and students conduct investigations using data collection, analysis, synthesis and reporting to experience scientific methods and processes.

Resources for Sharing

1. DVD/Teacher CD containing full curriculum for each of the six modules: A) Genes, Health & You; B) Advanced Genetics; C) Diabetes/Cardiovascular Disease; D) Nutrition /Physical Activity; E) The Nervous System; and F) The Immune System & Infectious Diseases, 2. Ancillary curriculum materials include a Clinical Research Trials unit and a guidelines document for creation of Elementary School Science Corners, 3. Collaborative opportunities with fellow SEPA projects, school districts, community groups, and other projects and organizations, 4. Access to University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston faculty and staff.

Dissemination Strategies

Dissemination targeted to minority students in Houston, Lower Rio Grande Valley, and across Texas. 1. Work with school district administrators and science departments to distribute materials to and conduct training for teachers, 2. Facilitate teacher workshops and foster project collaborations with Project GRAD Houston, Regional Education Service Centers, Texas Regional Collaboratives for Excellence in Science & Mathematics Teaching, Rio Grande Valley Science Association, UTHSC-H CCTS and more, 3. Network/collaborate with key project partners and other interested parties by participating in meetings and presenting at local, regional and national conferences, 4. Integrate Nutrition/Physical Activity and Diabetes/Cardiovascular Disease materials as classroom component of CATCH Middle School, a program, approved by Texas Education Agency, to meet Senate Bill 42 mandating all middle schools in Texas to implement a coordinated school health program by the 2007-08 school year. Trainings and dissemination provided through Flaghouse and Dell Center.

Abstract

The goal of this project is to expand, evaluate, and disseminate a health science curriculum, "HEADS-UP," for 5th through 8th grades developed through collaborations between a Health Science Center and their clinical research center, a school district, a health and medical science museum, a school reform project, and a Hispanic health center. HEADS UP (Health Education and Discovering Science while Unlocking Potential) consists of multimedia modules containing CD-ROM's, VHS tapes, lesson plans, and classroom activities, designed to meet state and national science standards and bring biomedical science and scientists into the classroom. We aim to develop and test 5th through 8th grade science curriculum modules, a teacher development component and a parent education component, and disseminate HEADS UP, along with the parent and teacher components, in elementary and middle schools in Houston and the lower Rio Grande Valley. The 5th grade module on scientific methods, processes and technology incorporates data collection and analysis. Middle school (6th through 8th grade) modules cover genetics, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, physical activity, nutrition, the nervous system, and will be expanded to include the immune system, and advanced genetics including stem cell research, and transgenic animals. Professional development sessions for teachers include the clinical research process emphasizing science, technology and translational research. The clinical research process will also educate parents about diabetes as a disease. We hypothesize that (1) Students who participate in HEADS UP will have increased self-efficacy for science, increased academic aspirations, increased interest in science careers, and better grades in science than students not participating in HEADS-UP; (2) Teachers participating in HEADS-UP will have increased confidence in teaching topics related to health science and biomedical research than teachers not participating in HEADS-UP.; (3)Families participating in HEADS-UP will have increased academic aspirations and enhanced knowledge about biomedical sciences and disease than those not participating in HEADS-UP. At the end of this five-year project a set of 5th through 8th grade science curriculum modules developed by teachers will emphasize contemporary and applied biomedical science, be demonstrated to be effective in a rigorous trial, be disseminated in districts in the Rio Grande Valley, and be available for national distribution.

Keywords

curriculum, middle school, teachers, health science center, school districts, museum, health science careers, Houston, Rio Grande Valley, nationally, genetics, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, nutrition, physical activity, nervous system, heads up, teacher professional development, health careers, video, dvd, multimedia, lesson plans, classroom activity

View the Poster as presented at the 2006
SEPA Program Director's Conference

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