Recorded presentation

Mark Kaelin, EdD and Wendy Huebner, PhD. Department of Health Professions, Montclair State University, College Avenue, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043, 973-655-7123, kaelinm@mail.montclair.edu

We present a curriculum that explores specific health-related issues relevant to middle school students through the science of epidemiology. The 34-lesson curriculum, called Detectives in the Classroom, prepares students to answer five essential epidemiological questions and, in doing so, develop five enduring epidemiological understandings. The curriculum aligns with the National Science Education Standards' fundamental abilities in Science as Inquiry and the attributes of scientific literacy. The curriculum were created and refined in partnership with a multidisciplinary Advisory Board of teachers and health professionals. As part of curriculum development, the principal investigator and two middle school teachers pilot-tested prototypes with their students. The prototype modules were then field-tested by science teachers from ten schools that were members of the New Jersey Network for Educational Renewal. The field-testing teachers were trained to teach the curriculum in their classes. The impact of the curriculum was assessed by measuring students' abilities to meet National Science Education Standards and students' interest in science in a controlled, pre-test / post-test comparison. The prototype curriculum was refined further based on the field-testing experiences, the results of students' assessments, and students' feedback. The curriculum is posted on the Detectives in the Classroom web site, at http://montclair.edu/detectives.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Describe the rationale for teaching epidemiology to students in grades 6-12.
• 2. Evaluate the appropriateness of the five enduring understandings and essential questions that are the pedagogical basis for the Detectives in the Classroom curriculum.
• 3. Identify the challenges of getting the science of epidemiology taught in grades 6-12.
• 4. Consider referring others to the Detectives in the Classroom web-based epidemiology curriculum for science, mathematics, and health educators.

Keywords: Education,

Related Web page: www.montclair.edu/detectives

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation