Lessons in learning: An effective process for engaging 12- to 14-year-olds in stem cell biology.

Abstract

Scientists wanting to reach beyond academia to improve public appreciation and understanding of research face a number of challenges. Perhaps the first of these is the question of which of the many potential audiences to address. Many scientists and science communicators focus their efforts on school children, perhaps because they are perceived to be particularly open to new ideas and knowledge. However, not all school audiences are the same. We chose to discuss concepts of stem cell science with high school students before they made the curriculum choices that put them on a path towards or away from science. Although high school outreach offers the chance to enthuse future scientists, our motivation was to reach those who would not choose science as their career. Engaging these people is essential to enhance the general level of scientific literacy in society. However, this particular audience poses some challenges, particularly as by this age, some students may already have dismissed science as irrelevant to them, while others who might be interested have little understanding of cell biology. Our challenge was therefore to convey the key concepts of stem cell biology in a way that efficiently engaged the students, demonstrated the relevance of science to their lives, was fun for all involved and enabled all students to place science appropriately within their imagined futures. We developed a series of three lessons for 12‐ to 14‐year‐olds to address the basic concepts, applications and ethics of stem cell biology (Table 1; Box Description of the content of the three lessons). Working together—one of us is a scientist and the other is a science communicator—we focused on designing a set of educational modules with an emphasis on interactivity, experiments, games and discussion to actively engage students in the topic. In addition, we pursued a longer‐term outreach strategy …