Playing With Fire?

Studies show that when students are taught simple Mendelian models of genetics, faulty assumptions about racial differences in behavior and ability can result. This workshop introduces participants to educational frameworks that are useful for teaching students more complex models of inheritance that include an understanding of how genes respond to varying environments as well as the use of inductive learning, argumentation, model-based reasoning, and data analysis and interpretation. Participants also practice using a teaching intervention designed to be embedded in a genetics unit and based on research that demonstrates that racial biases, like stereotyping, can be reduced by improving how adolescents perceive human genetic variation within and between races. The materials provided in this workshop are aligned with NGSS core ideas and practices.