EXHIBITION GUIDES

Exhibition Guide for Putting DNA to Work

The Koshland Science Museum embodies the inquiry-based approach to education set forth in the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996). By asking questions, gathering information, formulating explanations, and communicating those findings to others, students develop critical and logical thinking skills. Class visits to the museum also reflect current understanding about the processes of learning, as described in How People Learn (National Research Council, 2000). Active learning in collaborative teams combined with peer teaching gives students a powerful and meaningful experience with the information and ideas they encounter.

Your class’s overall objective will be to address the following question:

How can the knowledge of DNA sequencing be applied in the future?

To break down this question into manageable parts, the students will divide into groups and gather information from a specific part of the Putting DNA to Work exhibition. They then will communicate their findings and conclusions within their groups and to the entire class.

A Step-By-Step Agenda for a Class Visit

1. Orientation (15 minutes)

A trained field trip leader will join your class to describe the mission to be accomplished over the following two hours. With the assistance of the teacher and adult chaperones, the field trip leader will manage the flow of the class through the museum and guide the class discussion. Classes should arrive 10 minutes before their start time to enter the building and congregate in the area where the orientation will occur. (Note: The time allotments shown include the time required to move from one stage of the visit to the next.)

2. Touring the Exhibitions (50 minutes)

You will assign your students to three groups: red, yellow, or blue (see the Group Assignment Form). Each group will cycle through three rotations in the museum. During one rotation, they will become experts in one aspect of the Putting DNA to Work exhibition. During another rotation, they will tour the Wonders of Science exhibition and the general information areas in the Putting DNA to Work exhibition. During the third rotation, they will visit the Global Warming Facts & Our Future exhibition. Thus, in two of the three stations, students will be reading the big messages of the exhibitions and briefly using the interactive displays. In the third station, students will be digging more deeply into a subject to build a base of knowledge that they will use during the group discussions later in their visit.

For your visit to the Putting DNA to Work exhibition, the rotations will be as follows:

Each student will receive a clipboard, pencils, and two worksheets. The first worksheet will facilitate analysis of the “Introduction” and “Probe the Sequence” areas in the Putting DNA to Work exhibition. The second worksheet, which is tailored to each of the three groups, will help the Expert Groups analyze in detail the area they are assigned. Because your class is focusing on the Putting DNA to Work exhibition, your students will not receive worksheets on either the Wonders of Science or the Global Warming Facts & Our Future exhibitions.

Students should use their worksheets to record any questions they have about any of the data or other information presented. Students also can ask questions of the field trip leader.

3. Expert-Group Discussions (15 minutes)

After the students have cycled through all three rotations, each Expert Group will move to a discussion area where they will meet separately to discuss the topic they were assigned to analyze in detail. Working together, each Expert Group will prepare their main points to present during the following Interdisciplinary-Group discussions. By working cooperatively, each of the students in the Expert Groups can become knowledgeable in that area. Students will be responsible for summarizing the material discussed by the Expert Groups in subsequent group discussions.

4. Interdisciplinary-Group Discussions (15 minutes)

Next, the students in the Expert Groups will be split up and redistributed to form three new “Interdisciplinary Groups.” (The Interdisciplinary Groups correspond to the numbered groups on the Group Assignment Form.) Each member of the Interdisciplinary Groups will share some of the main points learned earlier and discussed in the Expert Groups. The Interdisciplinary Groups will think about the major question they have been asked to address and will formulate recommendations or suggestions for action. The Interdisciplinary Groups will discuss key pieces of evidence that support their conclusions. The groups also may outline possible additional research questions that need to be answered.

Your visit to the museum will conclude with a discussion involving the entire class and guided by the field trip leader. The discussion will center on the major question being addressed by the class:

How can knowledge of DNA sequencing be applied in the future?

Students will synthesize the discrete information they have learned into a “big picture.” They will discuss the pros and cons of the applications of DNA sequencing that are current in use. Students will be asked to think about how DNA sequencing could affect the United States in coming years from biomedical, economic, and political perspectives. What will it mean for people to be more responsible for their health as it becomes possible to predict and treat inherited diseases? If you have your DNA sequenced, how will that sequence be used? A particular focus of this discussion will be how the evidence gathered by the students supports their conclusions and what uncertainties remain.

The Jigsaw method requires that students become actively engaged with the information they are studying and that they develop an understanding sufficient to enable them to share their understanding with other classmates and make informed recommendations. Students with some experience in working collaboratively and taking responsibility for their own learning will have the most to gain from the visit. Pre- and post-visit materials will offer guidance to teachers to enhance the value of the museum visit to their students.

The Role of Docents, Teachers, and Chaperones

During your class visit, the field trip leader will:

• Instruct your class on its mission.
• With your assistance, manage your class’s flow through the museum.
• Lead the class discussion after the Expert-Group and Interdisciplinary-Group discussions.
• Encourage comments based on evidence.

Teachers and chaperones are asked to:

• Help promote students’ inquiry.
• Prepare their classes for the visit.
• Maintain appropriate behavior of students.