To support teachers with much needed remote learning resources, BABEC delivered a comprehensive workshop series that reached 94 high school science teachers across the Bay Area. The series was intended to support high school biology and biotech teachers with online substitutes for hands-on labs during distance learning. We also wanted to provide space for teachers from across the Bay Area to connect, collaborate, and build community – so we established a place for structured working time to collectively plan how to bring our lessons alive for their students with their colleagues.
Topics covered:
- Remote Learning and Planning with DNA Extraction
- COVID-19 Pandemic Project
- DNA Forensics
- mtDNA PCR: What does genetics tell us about race and ancestry?
97% of attendees agreed that the workshops were well organized and engaging, and that they took away helpful tools, resources, and/or tips that they would use in their classrooms.
“We really, REALLY appreciate the work you put into your online materials. I have done two of them and they are so well made that they made teaching online fun again. Talking with other teachers with same content area on how to implement the material was really helpful.” (Gianne Souza, Abraham Lincoln High School)
“[The most useful aspect was] being able to see the online resources and the tools that support them. I can imagine how I could implement these with my students. Good brainstorming and sharing of ideas on how to integrate into different contexts.” (Megan Jensen, Chabot College)
“The videos and teacher planning tools look fantastic. Easy to follow and flexible.” (Kent Morales, San Rafael High School)
“Virtual learning and coming up with labs has been a challenge, seeing how it can be done is very useful.” (Justin Lovett, Burton High School)
“I loved the collaboration with other science teachers. I liked that we were put with people within our school/district. I loved the resources and all the information that was gathered from this workshop.” (Thomas Fulwiler, George Washington High School)
