My externship has given me a key to unlocking a whole new way for me to engage my students and show them real world applications for the skills and concepts they are learning. I found two videos that Biogen, IDEC has posted on Youtube. The videos are not really intended for elementary students. So, I created a short Power Point to explain to the students the process of Cell Culture Development and how this is used to develop medicine. Then I will show the 4 minute video. I’m not interested in the students focusing so much on what is being said as I am what is actually going on in the video. They show clips of scientists working in the labs on the experiments. They show the equipment that is used and what the cell mixtures look like. Not only will the students see the scientists working in the labs, they will also see them collaborating with each other and working in teams. Furthermore, this video also shows women in the role of scientists which I think is really important for the girls to see.
This video will help engage the students because they will get to be scientists over the next few days. The following is the scenario they will be working on:
You work at Biogen, IDEC with a group of other scientists. Your team is making a new medicine that will help people fight diseases. This medicine must also be cost effective which means you will have a budget. Follow the directions below:
- Follow the PFD to make the medicine
- If it doesn’t, then your team must make some changes.
The students will learn how to use a Process Flow Diagram like the o es used at Biogen, IDEC to develop a new drug. They will also be required to make revisions and rewrite the PFD so they be using their writing skills. They will be collaborating , using critical thinking skills, and problem-solving. I could have come up with something similar to this without the externship but it certainly wouldn’t be as in depth or real-world as it is now. I wouldn’t really have known where to start or even thought about looking for a video on YouTube.
Here are the links to the Biogen, IDEC videos I mentioned earlier in case anyone wants to preview them. The one about Developing Biologic Drugs with the one I will show my students.
Manufacturing Drugs at Large Scale
Great work! Love the videos. Sounds like you have a strong plan together. I think it is important that you are recognizing and focusing on the girls as well. It is important that we find a way to foster their interest in science. I didn’t make the connection when we were at NCCAT, but I actually have a few really great resources from Biogen IDEC that I will be using next week at Future Engineer’s Camp, and next year in my class. They have Bio medical hand-outs that are a great way to introduce complicated medical procedures in the classroom. There is a relatively simple one featuring a home-made stethoscope, that works for most age groups that I love. Good Luck, keep up the great work 🙂
Thanks! It’s been a lot of fun working on this lesson. It’s nice to step out of the classroom and look for connections with what is going on in other places.
Having had a chance to look at some of the work you’ve been doing and the plans you have, I am so excited for hearing about how you implement this next year!
Thanks, Chris. I can’t wait to work on some of the things we talked about in our meeting yesterday!