Genetics into schools

Genetics appears everywhere, we read about it in the press, and we hear about it on the television. The completion of the Human Genome Project in 2001 was a momentous scientific achievement that caused a media frenzy. We have also had designer babies, stem cells and human cloning featuring in the news. Not to mention the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of the DNA double helix.

Genetics clearly captures our imagination and there has been much speculation about the impact genetic knowledge will have on our lives. Whether this is media hype or comes to fruition or not, one thing is clear; advances in science, technology and medicine will continue. It is essential to foster an interest in genetics to ensure a future generation of scientists medics, technicians and nurses. And perhaps more importantly we need to ensure that our children have an understanding of genetics as this may well be central to their future life decisions.

You could say that genetics is more than just science but is our future. We can give this next generation the advantage of genetic knowledge to understand the genetics of the future, and the impact it will have on their lives.

The project

The London IDEAS schools project involved the development of genetics "teaching packs" and "activities" for use in schools. The idea was to provide specific educational packs to cover the age range 8-18 years. There was no intention to replace curriculum science, but to complement and extend knowledge by putting genetics into the context of everyday life, and thereby raise awareness. Clearly, it is essential to consider genetics in the context of society and life experiences. We developed materials and teaching strategies to encourage children and teenagers to question how we view scientific knowledge, its applications and implications.

But, we shouldn't forget that science is fun and we need to encourage more children and teenagers to engage with science. One of the most stimulating and non threatening learning experiences is learning through play. As part of the "teaching packs" we developed a resource base of stories and games for the teaching of genetics.

As materials become available they were piloted in a small number of schools, by me and members of the team teaching within the classroom, from supportive use of materials with the classroom teacher, to "handing over" the materials for general school use.