Biodesign for High Schoolers: Practitioner Perspectives on an Implementation Case

• In Event: The Biomaker Ecosystem: Technologies, Spaces, and Curriculum for K–12 Making With Biology

Abstract

The recent development of low cost portable tools (Author, in press a) and competitions (iGEM, 2020; Biodesign Challenge, 2020) have made burgeoning biotechnology fields increasingly accessible to high school student groups (Author, in press b). One prime example is biodesign, where scientists and designers come together to leverage genetic engineering tools to develop practical and/or speculative solutions to real world problems. While this area of science learning has made significant inroads in a number of informal settings, fewer efforts (Author, 2019) conceptualize how such biodesign activities might exist in a formal K-12 setting. This is in part because of challenges related to curriculum in K-12 education, including the need and focus on adhering to school, state, or national learning standards (Moore et al., 2015; Ravitch, 2016)—making it difficult to introduce or fit biodesign in existing life science subject areas. This has important implications related to supporting career pipelines in these growing fields, as well as building literacy among students who represent future generations who will need to contend with the field and its impact on society.
To address this issue we developed a biodesign elective course in a co-educational K-12 independent school located in a major metropolitan city in the northeastern United States. We selected an elective course because it overcomes curricular requirements associated with traditional life science courses, and provides an opportunity to examine the various affordances and constraints of teaching biodesign in a formal setting. Furthermore, the elective course is designed around a global competition known as the Biodesign Challenge (2020). By situating activities in this competition framework, students could focus their learning around contemporary science and civic issues related to how biodesign could be leveraged to mitigate the effects of climate change.

We report on a case study group of six males ages 14-17 in high school grades 11 to 12 who enrolled in the 20-week course. This work is guided by the following two inquiries: how did the course design affect classroom engagement, and what are the learning affordances of engaging in a biodesign elective course. We use anecdotal evidence to examine these questions. Observations suggest that course design offered opportunities for learners to: explore biological materials to construct artifacts, and use reflection journals to make sense of their project ideas and learning. We also found that this course created space for students highly engaged in science learning to extend learning. Importantly, it also provided opportunities for learners who would otherwise turn away from science subjects, a chance to engage in a science course where meeting a curricular “benchmark” was not a salient part of classroom culture. Collectively, these findings suggest that a biodesign elective course is a viable space to pursue biodesign learning in high school settings as it provides entry to experienced and novice science learners, that would otherwise be limited in their science pursuits. Future efforts should consider how this approach might work with younger age groups, who are actively forming opinions about their future pursuits in life science.

Author

• Chrissy Dilley, Grace Church School